Featured Articles
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Medicaid Reforms
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Care Coordination
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Child Support Services
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Integrated Care Program
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Hospital Rate Reform Initiative
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Affordable Care Act
The FY 2013 state budget required significant spending reductions and new revenues to fill a $2.7 billion budget hole in the Medicaid Program. You can view copies of new laws, fact sheets, as well as notices to Medicaid recipients and providers that will implement the package of new laws.
The Medicaid reform law [PA 96-1501], requires that by January 1, 2015, at least 50 percent of the individuals covered under Medicaid be enrolled in a care coordination program that organizes care around their medical needs. This means at least 1.5 million of Illinois’ Medicaid clients – children, parents, seniors and disabled persons – will be assigned to an integrated healthcare delivery system replacing the current fragmented system.
Child support services are available to all families with parents living separately. The child support program will work with you to establish legal parentage, to establish an order for support, or to modify or enforce a child support order. Whether you are a mother or a father, free services are available to you - regardless of your income. If you are raising a child and need help in obtaining support, Healthcare and Family Services can work with you. If you are a parent who pays child support, and you have lost your job, we may be able to help you have your child support amount adjusted. All it takes is an e-mail to:
The Integrated Care Program (ICP) is built on a foundation of well-resourced medical homes with an emphasis on wellness, preventive care, effective evidence-based management of Chronic Health Conditions and coordination and continuity of care. It is a program for older adults and adults with disabilities who are eligible for Medicaid but not Medicare. It is a mandatory program and operates in suburban Cook (zip codes that do not begin with “606”), DuPage, Kane, Kankakee, Lake and Will Counties.
The Department of Healthcare and Family Services is launching an important initiative to restructure and modernize the payment methodology for Medicaid inpatient and outpatient hospital rates.
The sessions will be open forums to discuss the healthcare environment under Illinois’ new Medicaid reform law and the federal Affordable Care Act, key issues related to the current rate structure, a review of rate reform efforts in other states, and principles to incorporate in a new rate methodology.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA—also known as Health Reform) will expand access to healthcare to an estimated 1 million Illinois residents who do not currently have coverage. It will do this by financing a new category of low-income adults under Medicaid, and by creating Health Benefit Exchanges where individuals and families can buy private insurance that is subsidized by the federal government, depending on their income. Illinois is working hard to implement both expansions of coverage under the ACA.
Welcome to the Web site for Healthcare and Family Services, the state agency dedicated to improving the lives of Illinois families through healthcare coverage and child support services. Our mission is to empower Illinois residents to lead healthier and more independent lives by providing adequate access to healthcare coverage at a reasonable cost, and by establishing and enforcing child support obligations. We are proud to make a positive difference in the lives of Illinoisans.
HFS News
04/24/2013 - Governor Quinn Addresses Annual Conference on Affordable Housing
CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today addressed the annual Illinois Governor’s Conference on Affordable Housing, where he discussed his commitment to increasing homeownership opportunities, helping working families stay in their homes and stabilizing communities. The governor also thanked public-private housing leaders for partnering with the state of Illinois to create and preserve affordable housing opportunities across Illinois.
02/22/2013 - Illinois Partnering with Centers for Medicare And Medicaid Services On Coordinated Care Plan for Medicare and Medicaid Clients
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced a groundbreaking joint effort to reform the way care is delivered to clients eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative (MMAI) demonstration project, which is designed for clients who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (known as “dual eligible”), will provide coordinated care to more than 135,000 Medicare-Medicaid enrollees in the Chicagoland area and throughout central Illinois beginning October 2013.
02/01/2013 - State Launches Second Phase of Integrated Care Program
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) today announced the second phase of the state’s Integrated Care Program (ICP) to improve health and quality of life outcomes for seniors and persons with disabilities in the Illinois Medicaid system. Beginning today, long-term services and supports (LTSS), including nursing home care and home and community based care, will now be added to the service package for the 40,000 individuals currently eligible for the ICP, which was created to keep residents healthy through more-coordinated and better medical care, helping prevent unnecessary healthcare costs.- 01/02/2013 - HFS and DHS Launch Enhanced Eligibility Verification Project
- 01/02/2013 - HFS and DHS Launch Enhanced Eligibility Verification Project