Martinez Applauds Senate Medicaid Expansion Vote

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - HealthThe Senate voted to expand Medicaid eligibility in an effort to receive matching federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act. More than 2.7 million Illinois adults and children are enrolled in Medicaid and All Kids, the state’s supplemental program for children. In addition to those already eligible, all adults between the ages of 19 and 64 with incomes at or below 138 percent FPL would be able to participate. Following the vote, Senator Martinez released the following statement:

“I praise my colleagues who say the importance of this vote and the health care opportunities that would be provided to the low-income population of Illinois. Health care is a human right, and every man, woman and child should have access to this basic need. With this expansion, almost 20,000 more people in my district will have access to the care they need to live a healthy, productive life.”

Expected benefits of Medicaid expansion include:

  • Improved health outcomes for a medically underserved population
  • Access to a “medical home” and preventive care
  • The opportunity to use federal funds to improve mental health care and substance abuse treatment; state funding for these areas has been cut in recent years
  • An estimated $105 million in annual savings to the state, including $30 million from current spending on substance abuse treatment, $8 million from mental health, $23 million from eliminating the Comprehensive Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which is no longer needed under the ACA, and $11 million from HIV/AIDS drugs

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