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Thursday, Jun 28, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Associated Press has learned that private Illinois nursing homes are fronting $300 million for residential care because the state is so far behind on determining whether they’re eligible for Medicaid.

Numbers compiled by state Comptroller Susana Mendoza and obtained by the AP show the state has a backlog of 15,000 people who are awaiting Medicaid eligibility determinations. The backlog has nearly tripled since August 2014.

A judge in a federal lawsuit ordered the state to clear up the backlog by Thursday or presume everyone is eligible and put up the state’s Medicaid share of $300 million.

Unbelievable.

*** UPDATE *** Excerpt from the comptroller’s press release…

The Comptroller’s report, which uses Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) data, found that the number of pending Medicaid eligibility determinations for LTC over 90-days-old rose 143 percent between December 2017 and May 2018. HFS has reported it can only process 60 percent of new, incoming applications in a timely manner and, as of the end of last month, there were 16,378 pending admissions. According to the Associated Press, the estimated cost of these pending admissions is up to $300 million.

These problems are occurring at the same time the Rauner Administration continues to dump tax dollars into a failed technology solution meant to streamline Medicaid eligibility processes. The state has committed $288 million to Deloitte, the global consulting firm, for an Integrated Eligibility System (IES) to modernize enrollment in benefit programs like LTC or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

In six years, the cost of the Deloitte IES has doubled from $144 million to nearly $300 million. The IES has been plagued by public failures that have stopped or delayed critical services for eligible, needy families. And the cost continues to rise: Earlier this month, HFS issued an emergency request to outsource its application processing duties. The cost will likely exceed $14 million over the next two years.

The full report is here.

32 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Supreme Court paves the way for huge lawsuit against SEIU

Thursday, Jun 28, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Hmm…

In the wake of #Janus ruling, SCOTUS also today granted, vacated & remanded a lesser known case of Riffey v Rauner. The decision could open the door for Riffey & other home care workers to file class action to claim past 'fair share' dues from @SEIU. https://t.co/XUD95UD9a3

— Mark Maxwell (@WCIA3Mark) June 28, 2018

SEIU could be on the hook for “$32 million it unconstitutionally seized from over 80,000 personal assistants without their consent,” according to the petition.

AFSCME fought SEIU over which union should represent those workers. I’m betting the folks at AFSCME are breathing a sigh of relief right now that they lost.

*** UPDATE *** The Illinois News Network has a story up entitled “Foundation: Janus decision could prompt refund of ‘billions’ in forced union fees”…

National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix said this is good news for workers.

“We’re going to be able to get the money back for those home healthcare workers in Illinois and we may be able to get the money back for every government employee across the country that has been forced to pay these fees,” Mix said.

* However, this is from the petition…

To allow unions to profit from unconstitutional fee seizures will beget more unconstitutional fee seizures. This ramification will be especially problematic if the Court rules this term in Janus that it is unconstitutional to force public employees to pay agency fees. Under the Seventh and Sixth Circuits’ decisions, public sector unions will have little incentive to comply with that ruling and cease their agency fee seizures. Instead, unions will have a strong financial incentive to keep seizing fees from nonmembers until a court forces them to stop, because the unions will be able to retain most of the illegally seized monies. It is thereby imperative the Court establish that unions are not free to keep monies they unconstitutionally seize from nonmembers who have not expressed an objection.

24 Comments

WIU lays off 24 teachers, eliminates 62 vacant teaching positioins

Thursday, Jun 28, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Two weeks ago…

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said education reforms in the recently passed state budget will definitely help Western Illinois University-Quad Cities.

Appearing before some 100 students, faculty and others Thursday afternoon at the Riverfront Hall in Moline, Rauner said he believes a number of things in the state budget will help the students immediately.

“The immediate thing is we got the budget passed,” he said. “We got the MAP (Monetary Award Program) grants fully funded (for all four years of a student’s education). We got $25 million more coming to our state institutions of higher ed. And we’ve got immediate help on getting the support for this year.”

But, he quickly added, more work is needed. Among the things he plans to tackle are adding more resources while greatly reducing or eliminating mandates, restrictions, requirements and procurement, pension, hiring limitations and bureaucracy.

“Higher education, this is our time,” Rauner said.

* Today…

.@WesternILUniv President Jack Thomas (@StudentPres) cites declines in state funding and falling student enrollment as reasons for laying off 24 teachers and eliminating 62 vacant teaching positions during BoT meeting today. #twill #higheredu #WIU

— Emily Boyer (@EmilyBoyer1) June 28, 2018

Today's layoff announcement largely affects UPI Local 4100 members. But, the BoT Chair says there may be other employee groups affected by layoffs at a later date. #WIU to layoff 24 teachers (7 are tenured), & close 62 vacant teacher positions https://t.co/1US0fYhM3Z

— Emily Boyer (@EmilyBoyer1) June 28, 2018

Yes, but the state support was about $12-million less than what @WesternILUniv has requested. https://t.co/ABDcyJQYOZ https://t.co/RiH2YhOCOF

— Emily Boyer (@EmilyBoyer1) June 28, 2018

Hat tip: Jake.

…Adding… The WIU press release is here.

…Adding… Pritzker campaign…

“After state universities were crushed by Bruce Rauner’s 736-day budget crisis, layoffs are still plaguing our higher education system because of his failed leadership,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “Teachers and students’ futures are being jeopardized by a failed governor who puts photo-ops ahead of actually doing his job.”

46 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Free speech or partisan politics?

Thursday, Jun 28, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Republican attorney general candidate Erika Harold…

“The Janus decision strikes a constitutional balance, respecting a person’s choice to join a public sector union while ensuring those who choose not to join are not compelled in violation of the First Amendment to pay fees to support speech and advocacy they do not feel benefits them and with which they disagree.”

* Worth noting…

From Kagan’s extraordinary dissent in #Janis: “Almost all economic and regulatory policy affects or touches speech. So the majority’s road runs long. And at every stop are black-robed rulers overriding citizens’ choices. The First Amendment was meant for better things.”

— Joshua Matz (@JoshuaMatz8) June 27, 2018

* But Greg Hinz claims the Janus decision isn’t about “free speech” at all, it’s about partisan politics…

Plaintiff Mark Janus was just a patsy. This case was all about politics, about giving one political party and its ideology and its beliefs about who ought to pay how much in taxes a leg up on the other. As Trump tweeted, “Big loss for the coffers of the Democrats!”

Indeed. As the four liberal dissenters on the court wrote, “When the vicious cycle (of union members dropping their membership) finally ends, chances are that the union will effectively lack the resources to effectively perform.” Either as a bargaining agent, or in the political sphere. Take that, Mike Madigan and you evil Democrats! That’s what’s really going on.

Now, in the abstract, I understand the notion that someone like Janus, a child specialist with the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services, shouldn’t be forced to pay partial dues to the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees. Even though Janus is exempted from paying the share of dues that go toward partisan political activity by AFCME, the court majority held that even contributing to what the union tries to accomplish at the bargaining table might offend his views. Like, for instance, seeking insurance coverage for female union members who want an abortion. Or extra hiring consideration for African-Americans or Latinos. The majority didn’t really say.

But it hinted at one of the sentiments underlying its opinion, writing, “Public sector union membership has surpassed that in the private sector and that ascendancy corresponds with a parallel increase in public spending.” Translation: Rauner is right that unions force up spending and taxes. So we’re gonna give him some help.

* And Aviva Bowen of both the IFT and Kwame Raoul’s campaign agreed with Hinz in her response to Erika Harold’s comment…

Spare me. This case was about politics, not speech. Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump bragged about that yesterday. No one was ever forced to pay fees to support political candidates, and nothing in Janus changed that.

This case was a brazen attempt to further rig the economy and weaken the collective voice of the middle class. And it’s why, more than ever, we need a strong Attorney General like Kwame Raoul who will fight back and defend workers’ rights.

*** UPDATE *** Springfield’s Catholic Bishop…

It is encouraging that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Janus v. AFCSME upholds the right to be free from coercion in speech. No longer will public sector employees be required pay dues to support unions that promote abortion and other political issues with which they disagree.

— Bishop Paprocki (@BishopPaprocki) June 28, 2018