A press release from State Senator Dan Duffy:

STATE AUDIT SHOWS PROBLEMS CONTINUE IN ALL KIDS PROGRAM

SPRINGFIELD – A new state audit showed problems continue with lax oversight in the Expanded All Kids state health welfare insurance program, at a cost of millions to taxpayers,
according to State Sen. Dan Duffy (R-Lake Barrington).

State agencies in charge of the child welfare program were cited for failing to conduct annual
eligibility reviews, failing to verify income, duplicate enrollments and continuing to pay benefits
for patients who were too old to qualify for the insurance program.

“This kind of problem is exactly what makes people distrust their state government,” Duffy
said. “The All Kids welfare program should be helping our most needy children. Instead, due
to a complete lack of oversight, we are spending a ton of money on people who are working the
system and do not qualify for child welfare services.”

The Expanded All Kids program covers about 84,500 children and provided $75.2 million services to children during the audit period. Among the audit’s major findings:
• Out of nearly 35,000 recipients required to have an annual review of their eligibility for
the program, 32 percent were not reviewed annually as required;

• The two state agencies assigned to determine income eligibility did not verify one month’s income as required;

• During the audit period, 154 recipients received 1,966 services (an average of 12.7 per recipient) after they had turned 19 and were no longer eligible;

• The Expanded All Kids program continues to have children who are coded as undocumented immigrants even though they had verified Social Security numbers or alien registration numbers;

• There was a lack of documentation to verify the Illinois residency of recipients;

• Eight out of 10 recommendations from previous audits were repeated in the latest audit.

“Wasting our hard-earned taxpayer dollars on a program that people should be able to trust is inexcusable. Illinois residents should be able to know that their money is being spent wisely by
the state, but that clearly isn’t the case,” Duffy said.

Sen. Duffy says the audit provides new fodder for critics of Governor Quinn.

“The governor’s apparent inability to manage Medicaid costs and his unwillingness to adequately monitor eligibility or purge individuals who do not qualify are bankrupting the system and leaving those truly in need without care.”