Illinois
Change to immigrant health care programs in Illinois will cause up to 6,000 to lose benefits
SPRINGFIELD — Thousands of non-U.S. citizens living in Illinois will no longer receive state-funded health care benefits as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration looks for ways to cut the costs of two programs that came close to derailing state budget talks last year.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services projects that as many as 6,000 people will lose coverage by next month when the state stops offering the programs’ benefits to those who have green cards but have not completed a five-year waiting period in the U.S.
Individuals in that category will no longer be eligible for the benefits provided through two programs, Health Benefits of Immigrant Adults and Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors, by May 1. The affected individuals would then have to reapply for coverage through the federal Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace, which provides subsidies to noncitizens who are living in the country legally, the department said.
“It is important to note that all of the enrollee groups identified for changes … have alternative coverage options,” HFS spokesperson Jamie Munks said in an email. “These individuals will qualify for Medicaid coverage if they meet the eligibility requirements once they have been in the country for five years. We understand this creates turbulence for these individuals in their medical coverage and will do everything we can to help make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Munks said HFS is working with the state’s Department of Insurance to ensure that so-called navigators can assist these recipients with enrolling in a new plan.
The state budgeted $550 million for the programs last year, and Pritzker is proposing $440 million for them during the fiscal year that begins July 1. During a meeting before the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules on Tuesday, Healthcare and Family Services chief of staff Dana Kelly said removing the designated group recipients from the two programs would save a little over $13 million.
“We will be notifying them in the next week of that change and they will be made eligible for a special enrollment period on the Health Insurance Marketplace,” she said.
State Rep. Norma Hernandez, a Democrat from Melrose Park, criticized the changes as a “short-term cost-saving measure, not a long term” solution, and raised concerns about whether the navigators will suffice to help thousands of people through a complicated enrollment process that could be complicated by language barriers with only about a month and a half left before their state-funded health care expires.
“Even for me, and I have an education, I have a health care background, a master’s, it’s hard for me to navigate and understand copays, deductibles, all of that stuff,” Hernandez said. “I actually have a decent way of living, right? And then there’s folks that make less than $30K a year, less than $20K a year, and are now going to have to figure out how to pay for health care.”
In addition to proposing $440 million from the state’s general revenue fund for the programs in the coming year, Pritzker also proposed that an additional outlay of nearly $200 million could be allocated toward the two programs through other revenue streams. More than half of that would come from a federal match to emergency services funding.
Illinois initially offered the health care benefits in 2020. The programs initially provided Medicaid-style coverage to immigrants 65 and older who were in the country without legal permission, or who had green cards but haven’t completed a five-year waiting period and are therefore ineligible for the traditional health insurance program for
the poor, which is jointly funded by the federal government. The programs have been expanded twice and now cover those 42 and older.
The two programs launched in Illinois at a time when Medicaid redeterminations — annual checks that verify whether an enrollee is eligible for that benefit — were put on pause by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Munks said this year will be the first time enrollees in the state-funded immigrant health care programs, which are separate from Medicaid, will be subject to redetermination.
The health care programs became a major sticking point in budget negotiations last year. In his budget proposal a year ago, Pritzker pitched $220 million for the program. But as projected costs rose to $1.1 billion, he ended up striking a deal that set aside $550 million for the benefits.
The subsequent move to limit enrollment drew criticism from Latino communities at the time. The group Healthy Illinois, which advocated for the program, called Pritzker’s decision “immoral and fiscally short-sighted.”
Senate Republicans, meanwhile, this year indicated they had issues with continuing to fund the program.
Prior to the funding issues last year, Pritzker had said he believes “everyone, regardless of documentation status, deserves access to holistic health care coverage.”
The programs do not extend to the asylum-seekers primarily arriving in Chicago from Texas.
Olander reported and Laura Rodriguez Presa contributed from Chicago.
Illinois
PPP Loan Scandal Busts Joliet Woman Working For Illinois Department Of Corrections: AG Kwame Raoul Reveals
JOLIET, IL —Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a press release on Monday is alleging a Will County woman fraudulently received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for more than $20,000 while employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Attorney General’s office charged Jamilah Franklin, 48, of Joliet, with one count of loan fraud of more than $10,000, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; and three counts of forgery, Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Franklin’s first court appearance is June 18.
“Federal assistance programs served as a lifeline for small businesses and unemployed Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is unacceptable that government employees would abuse that vital support,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with other agencies to hold public workers accountable for abusing these programs.”
Attorney General Raoul’s office alleges Franklin was employed by the DOC as a lieutenant when she fraudulently applied for a PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration by falsely claiming she owned a business. According to Raoul’s office, Franklin received $20,516 in 2021 as a result.
The Attorney General’s office is prosecuting this case based on a referral by the Office of Executive Inspector General and following an investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation.
“The Illinois State Police pursues any state employee committing criminal behavior and will continue to work with Attorney General Raoul’s office to hold employees accountable and ensure justice,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.
Raoul’s office has prosecuted dozens of individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other investigations to the appropriate state’s attorneys for further evaluation.
Deputy Chief Jonas Harger is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
Illinois
Thousands of birds could migrate over the Chicago area this week, and here’s how to protect them
Thousands upon thousands of birds are expected to cross over Illinois as part of their spring migrations in coming days.
Thursday night saw the highest migration totals of the season so far, but researchers at Cornell believe that Sunday and Monday nights could see even more avian traffic in the skies over the Chicago area, with hundreds of thousands of birds expected to traverse the area.
According to estimates from Birdcast, Sunday night and into Monday morning there could be “medium” activity for migrating birds, with thousands of birds per kilometer flying over the area.
Even more birds are expected to take flight Monday night and into Tuesday morning thanks to favorable weather conditions, with a “high” number of birds expected to take to the skies over the Chicago area.
According to estimates, up to 383 million birds could be in flight over the central United States during the peak of the migration overnight.
On Thursday night the Chicago area experienced its busiest night of the spring migration season so far, with more than 367,000 birds having been estimated to have passed over Cook County alone.
In all, more than 23,000,000 birds are believed to have crossed the state of Illinois so far during the spring migration.
Among the primary birds expected to be flying through the area are American Redstarts, Magnolia Warblers, Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings, according to researchers at the CornellLab.
As millions of birds continue visiting the Chicago area, here are some steps that residents can take to keep them safe.
When do birds typically migrate?
Peak migration for birds over the state of Illinois occurs in mid-to-late May, with hundreds of different species heading north for the summer breeding season.
Those migration flights for songbirds and other species typically take place in the overnight hours. According to experts, birds typically take flight 30-to-45 minutes after sunset, with the greatest number of birds in flight typically seen approximately two-to-three hours later.
When should residents turn lights off?
One of the best ways to help protect birds is to turn off lights during peak migration times.
According to Birdcast, the best time to turn off or dim exterior lights and interior lights is between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most birds are active.
Bright lights can disorient and attract birds, making them vulnerable to collisions and to predators on the ground, according to the website.
Hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in collisions with buildings, and residents and businesses are being asked to do their part to keep the creatures safe.
In addition to turning off unneeded exterior lights, residents and businesses are also asked to dim or turn off lights in lobbies, and to draw blinds to help keep light from escaping through windows.
Finally, exterior lights should be aimed downward and be well-shielded so that birds aren’t attracted to them.
Are there other steps?
Another key step in protecting birds is to bring pet cats inside during overnight hours.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the United States every year, and during migration season those impacts can be even more devastating, as exhausted birds typically seek refuge in plants and trees to rest on their journeys, making them vulnerable to attack.
Since cats like to hunt at night, active migrating birds can be a target, leading to experts asking residents to keep animals inside when possible.
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