Illinois House Advances HB 1424 to Preserve the Successful Community Care Program for 36,000 Seniors Targeted for Devastating Cuts, Facing Relocation

After intense outcry during IDOA public hearings last week, the Illinois House takes action to protect elderly Illinoisans from Rauner attacks

SPRINGFIELD – The following is a statement on behalf of AARP Illinois, Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, Caring Across Generations, and SEIU Healthcare Illinois in response to passage of House Bill 1424 in the Illinois House today:

“Members of the Illinois House who voted in support of HB 1424 today did a great service for the 36,000 seniors living in their districts and across Illinois who face preventable institutionalization and reduced care now that Governor Rauner has taken aim at their lifeline services. Their vote takes the vital step to protect care for seniors who are not enrolled in Medicaid, ensuring they continue to receive services through the highly successful Community Care Program.

“The fragile seniors that Rauner wants to move into his Community Reinvestment Program through a $120 million cut to the Community Care Program, would see their trusted caregivers replaced by an unproven patchwork system of Uber drivers, meal vouchers, and a revolving door of unfamiliar service providers.

“Two weeks ago, scores of advocates, elder care attorneys, impacted seniors, and their home care workers testified at IDOA public hearings against the irresponsible Rauner proposal, highlighting a multitude of inadequacies in the rules as written, and warning of premature and costly relocation of impacted seniors into nursing home care.

“We are relieved to see that while Governor Rauner and the IDOA utterly ignore concerns raised by those dedicated to serving Illinois seniors, our state representatives are taking steps to ensure those concerns do not fall on deaf ears. Our coalition now looks to the Illinois Senate to take action to shield the 36,000 seniors at risk by passing SB 399.”
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