Summary as Introduced
Creates the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a Medicaid Technical Assistance Center (Center). Provides that the Center shall operate as a cross-system educational resource to strengthen the business infrastructure of health care provider organizations in Illinois to ultimately increase the capacity, access, health equity, and quality of Illinois' Medicaid managed care programs: HealthChoice Illinois and YouthCare. Requires the Center to be established within the Department's Office of Medicaid Innovation. Requires the Center to collaborate with public and private partners throughout the State to identify, establish, and maintain best practices necessary for health providers to ensure their capacity to participate in HealthChoice Illinois or YouthCare. Requires the Center to: (i) create and administer ongoing trainings for health care providers; (ii) maintain an independent, easy to navigate, and up-to-date website; and (iii) host regional learning collaboratives that will supplement the Center's training curriculum to bring together groups of stakeholders to share issues and best practices, and to escalate issues. Requires the Department to maximize federal financial participation for any moneys appropriated to the Department for the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. Provides that any federal financial participation funds obtained shall be used for the further development and expansion of the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Effective immediately.
Staff Analysis
The bill extends and expands the Hospital Assessment Program through 2026. The new law helps ensure cash-flow predictability for hospitals, tying greater funding to higher Medicaid use to protect safety net hospitals. Also, certain hospitals are re-classified, and some tax exemptions and waivers are enacted to help hospitals recover from the effects of COVID-19.