North Cook News

Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) discussed her Medicaid reform package, Senate Bill 2294, during a news conference at the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital.

She joined the governor and other bill supporters in explaining how Illinoisans could further benefit from the state health care.

“I'd like to point out is how it works together with another piece of legislation we did in January which is healthcare transformation,” Gillespie said. “And the funding of projects to look at ways that we can expand and improve do new things do things differently in Medicaid by bringing community, organizations together with healthcare providers and making it collaborative.”

Gillespie, who has spent significant time in the health care industry as a consultant, executive and attorney, says she's proud of how she and other legislators have been working on Illinoisans' improved health care system.

“We just awarded the first round of funding for those programs. It's going to be a three-year effort of $150 million investment each year, I'm happy to say Advocate is one of the partners in that. ... it's really bringing the community to the forefront of saying this is what we need in health care this, this is what we want to deliver, this is how you can best help us. And bringing them together with both the state and the healthcare community to try to do Medicaid a little bit differently moving forward.”

She said that Senate Bill 2294 addresses that need and includes services like kidney transplant medication and mental health services.

“This bill expands that in the community behavioral health care clinics for example,” Gillespie continued. “Modeled as federally qualified health care centers but focusing on mental health issues, this is a new innovative way that is showing real promise and reaching out to community members that aren't reaching out themselves to get mental health care as readily. The thing that I also really like about the way we do Medicaid in this state ... is that we go out of our way to find ways to expand federal match dollars with every new innovation with bring to the Medicaid program.”

Senate Bill 2294 “amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code and contains provisions concerning inpatient hospitalization for opioid-related overdose or withdrawal patients; services provided by licensed clinical professional counselors and marriage and family therapists; payments for long-acting injectable medications for mental health or substance use disorders.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved and signed the bill.

The Illinois Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Act is effective immediately.