* Two Republican legislators held an angry press conference yesterday about a proposed Medicaid expansion for Cook County…

Two Republican state lawmakers on Thursday said it would be hypocritical for Gov. Pat Quinn to seek expansion of a health insurance program for low-income adults in Cook County at a time Illinois faces billions in unpaid bills and needs statewide Medicaid reforms.

Rep. Patti Bellock of Hinsdale and Sen. Dale Righter of Mattoon called on Quinn’s administration to drop a request that would allow for an expansion of Medicaid coverage to low-income childless adults in the nation’s second most-populous county.

The lawmakers said there are hundreds of millions of dollars in cost-saving reforms that were approved by the Legislature last year but not carried out. The reform package, which included requiring income and residency verification for Medicaid applicants, put a moratorium on expanding Medicaid eligibility.

“We want to reform the system when clearly that’s not their aim,” Righter said of the Quinn administration. “We’re drowning in the hypocrisy.”

* The proposal would add 100,000 people to the Medicaid rolls. The idea is to get federal money to reimburse Cook County for half the costs that Cook is already paying…

The Associated Press reported earlier in the week that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an expansion which is supposed to bring millions in federal funding to Cook County’s strained health care system.

But any expansion would require lawmakers to lift the moratorium, and Hamos said Cook County has to convince lawmakers.

Healthcare and Family Services spokesman Mike Claffey says there won’t be any costs to the state if the is application is approved by federal authorities.

“The proposal will help Cook County to recover 50 percent of the cost it will have to pay anyway to treat uninsured people,” Claffey said.

* The program wouldn’t cost the state government a dime, but that was of no consequence to the legislators…

“People in my district, they pay state taxes, they also pay federal taxes,” Righter said. “And they care how much their governments are spending, not just in Springfield but in Washington, (D.C.) as well.”

Righter voiced concern that the state would be stuck with paying for the 100,000 new enrollees if the federal health-care law is struck down in whole or part by the U.S. Supreme Court before the end of this year since they’re eligibility is based on the new law.

* Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said via a press release today that this shouldn’t be a political issue…

“The proposed waiver would ensure that [Cook County Health and Hospitals System], the state’s largest provider of medical care to the uninsured and underinsured, garners additional federal resources that would bolster our health system in this time of state budget distress while relieving the state of Illinois of future budgetary pressures. This should not be a political issue.

“Our waiver proposal seeks to deliver quality care to those who require it the most while simultaneously protecting the state of Illinois from future budgetary liability.

“Last year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie received approval for a similar waiver which garnered tens of millions of dollars in increased federal financial support for his state’s Medicaid program. If Governor Christie can work in conjunction with President Obama to achieve this goal, I believe all of us in Illinois are capable of doing the same.”

More details on the Christie waiver here.

* Meanwhile, the AP interviewed Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos about possible Medicaid cuts…

“Last year, in the Medicaid reform law, the Legislature turned the All Kids program into a “most kids” program. They capped children’s eligibility at 300 percent of the federal poverty level. That could go lower, I suppose.

“And their parents are in a program called Family Care that’s currently at 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Last spring, we suggested they might want to cut adults down from 185 percent to 133 percent. This is what the Affordable Care Act (President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul) is going to provide (in 2014).

“The Legislature didn’t want to do that. They didn’t want to throw people off the program. We didn’t either.

“Our enrollment growth in Medicaid is directly attributable to the bad economy. … Nobody wants any of these changes.”

* And in related news…

Demanding raises that Gov. Pat Quinn has canceled, dozens of members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees rallied Thursday in front of the governor’s office, causing a brief confrontation with Secretary of State police officers.

AFSCME members tried to present Quinn with an oversized “collection notice” for the raises, which were withheld by the governor for 30,000 unionized employees in 14 state agencies in July. Those workers, mostly AFSCME members, were supposed to receive a 2 percent raise on July 1, a 1.25 percent raise on Jan. 1 and another 2 percent on Wednesday. None of the raises have been paid.

Quinn has said the legislature did not appropriate enough money to fund the raises.

* Related and a roundup…

* Number Of The Week: 6,230: That’s the number of jobs lost each time the state reduces general fund spending by just 1 percent, according to a new report by Make Wall Street Pay Illinois and the Alliance for a Just Society.

* Director says IDNR needs help after budget halved: “Our agency has essentially been cut in half over the last decade,” he said. “There are a lot of ramifications. People need to be engaged and involved so we can find a solution.”

* State dragging feet on Medicaid reforms, legislators say: Department of Healthcare and Family Services spokesman Mike Claffey said the department is “steadily working” to get 50 percent of Medicaid recipients into coordinated care. The agency also is putting into place an electronic system to evaluate income levels and is working with the secretary of state’s office to develop a system to prove residency. “I don’t have a specific target date (for completion),” he said.

* Illinois budget director assures local mayors that state’s economy is improving: Vaught said the state is working to get current on its payments, but remains focused on fostering growth. He said the top challenges for the state are pension reform, Medicaid cost containment, and economic growth.

* Lawmakers set hearing on Jacksonville Developmental Center closure: But while some public testimony is expected at the hearing, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Thursday the hearing does not comply with the state’s Facilities Closure Act. “Not only does the current hearing plan violate the law, in our opinion, but it also appears to be intended to make it as difficult as possible for some parties most directly impacted to be able to participate,” said AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer in a letter to COGFA’s co-chairmen, Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, D-Evanston, and Rep. Patti Bellock, R-Hinsdale.

* Public Employee Union: Where’s Our Pay Raise?: “Labor comes before capital,” Bayer said. “This governor gave $300 million to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Frontline workers… he can pay them what they’re owed. They certainly deserve it, and they certainly need it a lot more than the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.”

* VIDEO: ASFCME Rally

* VIDEO: Gov. Pat Quinn on Chicago Tonight

* Students school Quinn at Capitol

* Editorial: Legislative scholarships a perk we can’t afford

* Grigsby to Fight Illinois Secretary of State’s ISAC Allegations

* IL high court ruling offers new hope to inmates

* Press Release: Attorney General Alleges Faulty Practices in Foreclosing on Homeowners in Crisis