More Illinois fail

[Snake]

A federal judge on Friday ordered Illinois to start paying $293 million in state money toward Medicaid bills every month and an additional $1 billion over the course of the next year, worsening a cash-flow problem caused by two years of budget-free spending by state government.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's ruling came after lawyers representing Medicaid patients and attorneys for the state were unable to agree on a plan to deal with bills and pay down a $3 billion backlog owed to health care providers.

The ruling requires the state to start promptly paying all new Medicaid bills, which is estimated at about $586 million per month, and to pay down $2 billion of its bill backlog in payments spread out over the course of the coming fiscal year. The federal government pays half of those costs, so the bottom line for the state will be $293 million per month and $1 billion in backlogged bill payments over the next year.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza's office earlier in the week had offered to pay an additional $150 million per month, but the plaintiffs rejected it, saying it wasn't enough. The $150 million would have only cost the state $75 million because of the federal match, and Mendoza's office said that was all the state could spare while meeting other demands.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-illinois-budget-medicaid-decision-met-20170630-story.html