Dear ACMHAI Members:

Governor Pritzker presented his FY 23 Proposed Budget in his state of the State address today. Below are some of the priorities outlined in his budget related to ACMHAI priority issues. Click on the link to see the Budget in Brief and the complete FY23 Budget Book. Click here to read the full transcript of the Governor’s address.

If you have any questions on the proposed budget, staff from the Governor’s office requested that they be submitted by email to dhs.budgetqa@illinois.gov by this Friday at noon. They will begin posting answers to submitted budget questions by next Friday, February 11^th. For those that missed the Health and Human Services Briefing presentation, the recording will be posted at www.dhs.illinois.gov.

We will also forward any detailed budget analysis from our partners as they become available to share.

Thanks!

Department of Human Services

FY23 Proposed Budget: $11.625 billion All Funds, including $5.253 billion General Funds

• Supports compliance with the Ligas consent decree covering state care of individuals with developmental disabilities through rate increases for direct care staff and funding of nearly 700 new placements for individuals transitioning to less restrictive or community home settings: $62.8 million General Funds for implementation of CILA Rate Calculator per Guidehouse rate study effective 1/1/23; $32.0 million General Funds for direct service providers’ wage increase of $1.00/hr effective 1/1/23
• Provides services to more individuals with disabilities needing assistance to stay in their homes through the Home Services Program and strengthens the program through provider wage increases – $96.4 million
• Addresses those experiencing a mental health crisis through funding the 9-8-8 Call Centers and Crisis Response Services – $70 million

Healthcare and Family Services

FY23 Proposed Budget: $33.1 billion All Funds, including $8.080 billion General Funds

• FY23 Medicaid liability is projected at $23.4 billion all funds. Total enrollment is projected at 3.6M during FY23, an increase of approximately 630,000 from February 2020.
• Assumes the federal public health emergency declaration ends on July 1, 2022, allowing the 6.2 percentage point enhanced Medicaid match to extend through September 2022
• Includes a total of $450 million towards Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives (HTCs) HTCs is a “person-centered, community-driven innovative healthcare collaborations in distressed communities, prioritizing safety-net and critical access hospitals” To date, $94.3 million has been awarded to 9 HTCs serving various geographic regions in Illinois
• Funding to pursue nursing home rate reform and a new provider assessment designed to maximize federal dollars, encourage staffing and improve quality – $500 million
• Full implementation of the Pathways to Success Program for children with serious mental illnesses – $150 million
• Funding to support behavioral health rate payments – $140 million
• Directs funding to preserve and grow the healthcare workforce, with a focus on Medicaid providers in underserved areas of the state, including rural areas – $180 million reinvestment

Rebuild and Expand the Healthcare Workforce

Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare (PATH) Workforce Program to develop high-demand healthcare positions through Illinois Community College Board –

$25 million:

• Helps remove barriers to workforce entry
• Participants will be able to obtain industry-recognized credential or community college certificate
• Wraparound student support services available

Increased funding for existing scholarship programs to help rebuild the healthcare workforce

• Nursing Education Scholarship program – $2 million increase

Community Health Worker Certification

• The Department of Public Health and education agencies will collaborate to certify academic-based training programs for community health workers – $2.5 million

Reinvest funding to preserve and grow the healthcare workforce through the Healthcare Workforce Initiative – $180 million

• Eligible providers include hospitals, clinics, behavioral health providers, home health workers
• Funding will be directed towards staff bonuses, continuing education training and staff retention and recruitment

Proposed changes to the nursing home rate structure – $500 million

• Workforce Enhancement
• Creating a wage scale for certified nursing assistants
• Increased payments to nursing homes for hiring and retention of direct care staff

Proposed waiving of certain licensing fees for healthcare professionals

• Provides direct savings to the healthcare workforce – $21 million