Medicaid Swells During Economic Downturn
CHICAGO (AP) - Adult enrollment in Medicaid climbed in Illinois by nearly 10 percent since the start of the recession.
That finding comes from a report released Thursday by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. Medicaid enrollment for Illinois children grew by nearly 14 percent since December 2007, when the recession began.
Medicaid is a federal-state health insurance program that covers low-income families.
In Illinois, Medicaid enrollment topped 2 million people for the first time in late 2008. It rose to nearly 2.2 million people by December 2009, when state joblessness was nearing 11 percent.
Kathy Gifford of the consulting firm Health Management Associates says enhanced federal funding for Medicaid helped Illinois avoid significant benefit cuts. The last of that money will run out in June of next year.
