Governor Quinn is focusing on prevention, health and access to quality care through many initiatives supported by the Affordable Care Act. These new or reestablished activities play an important role in keeping Illinois residents healthy.
Newly Eligible Medicaid Clients
Governor Quinn is committed to increasing access to health care to low-income individuals who have previously been ineligible for Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act eliminates the gap in coverage for adults without dependent children who are not currently eligible for Medicaid regardless of their income status. The federal government is offering to pay 100% of the costs for the new category of Medicaid clients through 2016 (phased down to 90% by 2020). For more information on the newly eligible Medicaid population, please visit the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
The Illinois Department of Public Health was awarded a multi-million dollar grant to implement activities throughout Illinois that focus on tobacco-free living, active living and healthy eating, quality clinical and other preventive services, social and emotional wellness, and fostering healthy and safe physical environments.
We Choose Health will fund efforts by local organizations, health providers, schools, businesses and other community groups statewide other than in Cook, Kane, DuPage, Lake and Will counties. On May 8th, 2012 the Department released a Request for Application inviting organizations to begin applying for funding.
State Innovation Model Grant
On February 21, 2013 Illinois was awarded a State Innovation Model grant from the federal Department of Health and Human Services Innovation Center. This funding focuses on planning efforts around delivering high-quality health care, lowering costs, and improving health system performance. Illinois aims to develop a plan that will build upon the delivery and payment system reforms already underway in the state, including changes implemented under Illinois' Care Coordination Innovations Project, and the CMS Coordinated Care for Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees Demonstration, as well as innovations being spearheaded by private insurers. The planning activities will include the development and integration of three models: a Provider-Driven Model; a Plan-Provider Partnership Model; and a Plan-Provider-Payer Model. These models will feature robust coordination among health plans, providers, and payers with the goal of enhancing care management and ultimately expanding the payer base.
The Council on Physical Fitness was established in 1998 and has recently been revived to help promote Governor Quinn’s Walk Across Illinois initiative. The Council, co-chaired by former Chicago Bear Otis Wilson and retired physical education teacher Sandy Noel, is working to promote Walk Across Illinois and the Walk Across Illinois-Schools initiative. The Council is also working with the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Council to promote Walk Across Illinois as a worksite wellness activity. To begin tracking your miles across Illinois, click
here.
PHAP is a two year fellowship program run by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for recent graduates interested in public health and supported in part by the Affordable Care Act. Gretchen Paule, a fellow in her first year of the program, is currently working at the Clay County Health Department, gaining valuable experience as a public health professional.
The Affordable Care Act provided funds to states to expand School Based Health Center programs. Illinois received funding for this expansion which helps support eighteen organizations that provide school based health care access across Illinois.