From Governor JB Pritzker:

Gov. Pritzker Announces Medicaid Reimbursement Increases and Expanded Title X Funds for Reproductive Health Care Providers

CHICAGO –Today Governor Pritzker announced an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates for abortion services and a new expansion of Title X funding through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for family planning and reproductive health service providers across the state.

The 20% Medicaid reimbursement rate increase will give additional resources to providers facing new burdens in the wake of increased restrictions on reproductive care in surrounding states.

The Governor also eliminated a requirement for providers to receive a Medicare denial before requesting Medicaid payment, expanding provider options for patients receiving both Medicare and Medicaid.

“Illinois abortion providers have been working overtime since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

“They need support as they take on this new burden on the frontlines of this fight. Supporting them with reimbursement increases allows them to focus on their important work without worrying about rising costs of supplies and services.”

The rate increase, which goes into effect September 1, allow abortion providers to recoup more costs and enable providers and clinics to provide more care without financial strain.

The 20% increase in reimbursement will cost around $3 million annually.

The elimination of the Medicare denial requirement will allow those who qualify for Medicare and Medicaid, many of whom are people with disabilities, to access these services without going through a layered, time-consuming denial process.

Medicaid covers abortion services in Illinois, one of only 16 states to do so, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services requires Managed Care Organizations to include information about abortion service coverage in Medicaid member handbooks and to be able to answer questions about abortion service coverage.

There are currently 98 family planning clinics across the state offering Title X supported services, serving over 150,000 patients in the last two years. The new $2 million investment announced today by the Governor will expand the number of providers offering Title X-funded services to the client base of these clinics, 80% of whom are below the federal poverty line. Providers can apply for grant funding to expand the statewide network of clinics providing Title X funded reproductive health care including HIV testing, breast and cervical cancer screening, STD and pregnancy testing, infertility counseling, and other family planning services and counseling.

Title X was established in 1970 to provide federal support for family planning services for low-income populations. The $2 million in funds would be in addition to $5.4 million in federal HHS funding and an existing $5.8 million in state funds, for a total budget of $13.2 million.

The state rejoined the federal Title X program earlier in 2022 after a repeal of a Trump administration law banning recipients of Title X funds from referring patients to abortion providers or counseling patients on abortion services. Title X funds cannot be used for providing abortion care. During the three years the state declined to participate, the gap in funding was filled using the state’s General Revenue Fund.