Policy Chart: ObamaCare will make 1 in 3 Illinoisans a dependant of Medicaid

Download this Policy Chart report here. See the full report for this Policy chart here. The federal health care changes hinge on expanding Medicaid eligibility to cover more Americans. While proponents of this supposed reform say more people will have access to care, the reality is that flooding an already-stressed Medicaid system with new enrollees...

Download this Policy Chart report here.

See the full report for this Policy chart here.

The federal health care changes hinge on expanding Medicaid eligibility to cover more Americans. While proponents of this supposed reform say more people will have access to care, the reality is that flooding an already-stressed Medicaid system with new enrollees will actually reduce health care access and quality for the very people Medicaid was intended to serve – our neediest citizens.

ObamaCare greatly expands Medicaid eligibility and increases participation. Medicaid enrollment in Illinois is expected to increase by 75.6 percent, to 4.5 million people, between 2011 to 2019. By the time ObamaCare is fully implemented, one in three Illinoisans will be on Medicaid.­

Medicaid faced significant problems even before ObamaCare was passed:

• Low reimbursement rates and delayed payments mean Medicaid patients already wait longer to see doctors, if doctors agree to see these patients at all.
• Medicaid patients are six times more likely than privately-insured patients to be denied an appointment. When Medicaid patients are accepted, the average wait times are 22 days longer. Additionally, doctors are more willing to see an uninsured patient than one on Medicaid.
• Even when Medicaid patients do receive care, they frequently experience worse outcomes than both privately-insured and uninsured patients.

The Medicaid system already fails to serve Illinois’s neediest citizens. Under ObamaCare, access to care is likely to shrink further. Half of recent graduates from Illinois medical programs are fleeing the state5 and doctor shortages are projected to rise. The state’s fiscal crisis will cause record delays for doctors receiving Medicaid reimbursement, forcing even more doctors to turn away Medicaid patients.

Stressing an already-failing system with more enrollees is not the answer. Medicaid needs reform beginning with patient-centered options, including Medical Savings Accounts and sliding-scale premium assistance. These options would give patients greater control over their health, restore the doctor-patient relationship, ensure quality care and reign in out-of-control spending.

Download this Policy Chart report here.
See the full report for this Policy chart here.