At Roseland Hospital, Workers and CEOs Call on State Lawmakers to Demand the Illinois Hospital Association Provide More Money to Safety Nets Or Kill the Assessment Bill
Onzell Brown, Roseland Hospital worker, speaks at press conference to demand that the Illinois Hospital Association protect all safety nets as part of any new hospital assessment on Medicaid funding; Jan. 18th, 2018
(See videos of speeches from our press conference at Roseland Hospital below).
(January, 18th, 2018, Chicago) –Safety net hospital workers from across Illinois held a press conference at Roseland Hospital to call on Gov. Rauner’s administration at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) to urgently produce a hospital assessment and new Medicaid funding formula to protect the state’s hospitals.
Illinois risks losing more than $3.5 billion in Medicaid funding if the IHA and HFS cannot agree to secure federal approval of a new assessment model before July 1st.
State Senator Emil Jones III speaks at a press conference at Roseland Hospital to demand that safety nets do not get any cuts under the proposed hospital assessment and new Medicaid funding formula, and that safety nets should receive an increase in funding; January 18th, 2018.
Hospitals throughout the state depend on Medicaid supplemental payments, especially safety-net and critical access hospitals in rural parts of the state, to stay open and who serve low-income and communities of color.
New revelations have been leaked that the Illinois Hospital Association is trying to garner an estimated $390 million in new federal Medicaid dollars. However, the IHA and the Rauner administration is still proposing to slash funding to safety nets, including Roseland Hospital, which would likely force the hospital to shut down.
Any delay or disruption of Medicaid funding to the state’s hospitals would be utterly disastrous, especially to Illinois’ safety net hospitals and critical access hospitals and will force many of them to close and cost thousands of jobs and lost vital services and access to emergency rooms.
Jaquie Algee: “Lawmakers must hold Hospital Assoc & Rauner Admin Accountable On Safety Nets”
Onzell Brown, Roseland Hospital: “Lawmakers Must Demand Safety Nets Like Roseland Are Protected!”
Tamera Cunningham, Touchette: “Why Is Hospital Assessment Debate Happening Behind Closed Doors?”
Tim Egan, Roseland CEO: “”With $390M Available How Does the State Have Audacity to Cut Safety Nets?”
Sen Emil Jones: “If there are cuts to safety net hospitals, I’ll work to kill the bill”