Though a long-term managed care bill had bipartisan support, it was hard to tell at the April 25 House Human Services Committee hearing.
Sponsored by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) and similar to HB4771 sponsored by Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), HB175 would ensure unpaid vendors and pending Medicaid applications are reviewed within the 45-day federal law period.
“The reason I filed my bill is that we were concerned the Senate would not extend their deadline, so instead of one vehicle, we have two,” Hoffman said.
Rep. Michael Unes (R-East Peoria)
But what should have been a simple hearing turned complicated due to a lack of communication between Hoffman, Rep. Michael Unes (R-East Peoria) and Rep. Litesa Wallace (D-Rockford).
“Do you know who your Senate sponsor is on this?” Unes asked.
Before Hoffman could answer, Wallace asked if the question was germane to the Senate bill sponsored by Sen. John Mulroe (D-Chicago) and Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford).
“What’s it matter, really what’s it matter, you are going to vote for the bill or you're not,” Hoffman said.
Lawmakers were not in the hearing to discuss the process of passing a bill, according to Wallace, who said they needed to move forward to multiple pieces of legislation.
Unes then attempted to say what he meant to from the beginning.
“What I am trying to do is get the same commitment from you that we got from Rep. Hammond – that there is already a commitment made from the Senate sponsor that they are going to sit and make sure this is worked out,” Unes said.
“I took it the wrong way,” Hoffman admitted.
Syverson and Mulroe have worked hard on the bill, like Hammond and himself, Hoffman said, assuring Unes the four would work together to come to a conclusion.
“I was only trying to get that on the record representative, and that was the intent of where I was going,” Unes said.
Unes said the important thing is to remember the bipartisan support in the room. He said the fact that some Medicaid patients have had to wait more than two years for review and determination on their application is unacceptable.
“The problem is not getting better; the problem is only getting worse,” Unes said. “This might be the biggest crisis facing the State of Illinois right now.”
Both HB175 and HB4771 passed through committee and the House, and were moved to the Senate.
Alerts Sign-up