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August 19, 2008

Governor Signs Bill for New Hospital Assessment Program

We are pleased to inform you that Governor Blagojevich today signed Senate Bill 2857 (PA 95-859), which authorizes a new 5-year Hospital Assessment Program that will bring hospitals a net benefit of $640 million a year in critically needed Medicaid funding.

IHA commends the Governor, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), key legislative sponsors, Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg (D-Evanston) and Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), and the General Assembly for working with the hospital community to make this program possible to strengthen the state’s health care system.

IHA continues to work closely with the HFS and the Illinois Congressional Delegation on securing final federal approval of the new program by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Earlier this summer, IHA met with top CMS officials to urge expeditious approval of the program and emphasized that hospitals – especially financially challenged safety net hospitals – urgently need assurance of the new funds as soon as possible.