April 16, 2007

IAFP Takes a position on Governor's Health Care Plan


To: Illinois Academy of Family Physicians Members
From: Kathleen J. Miller, MD - President
Date: April 17, 2007

IAFP STATEMENT ON ILLINOIS COVERED

Last week the IAFP Board of Directors had a regularly scheduled board meeting and discussed the Governor’s Illinois Covered plan. As the plan is currently being debated in the state legislature, IAFP leadership understood that our members, lawmakers, media and other organizations needed to know our position.

Since 2004, the IAFP has supported the Health Care Justice Act and subsequent Health Care Justice Campaign in promoting the passage of access to quality, affordable healthcare for all (see IAFP Testimony on our web site at http://www.iafp.com/legislative/hcja.htm). In this capacity, we’ve been engaged in discussion with DHFS during the expansion of All Kids Covered and the creation of a Disease Management and Primary Care Case Management component. We’ve also supported every attempt by the Comptroller to rein in the medical payment cycle and close any existing loopholes, so that physicians are paid in a timely manner. And finally, we’ve participated in meetings with the Governor’s office as his new proposal was unveiled. These activities have allowed IAFP leaders and staff to permeate the process and provide input at every level. We have been heard and recognized as players in the healthcare arena.

The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians board of directors voted to support the Governor’s Illinois Covered plan for increasing access to affordable health care services and the fiscal proposal to ensure that this program is fully funded.

The Governor’s proposal, Illinois Covered, which aims to provide all Illinoisans access to affordable healthcare, is contained in two Senate bills: SB 5 contains the healthcare and assessment portion while SB 1 contains the funding mechanisms to increase health care and education funding, as well as a property tax relief proposal.

IAFP realizes that the current proposal will continue to evolve until the final vote is cast sometime this summer. Illinois Covered must have a solid fiscal foundation and payment system to make sure today’s physicians participate and tomorrow’s physicians will want to come to Illinois. For many years we have made the point that state payments to physicians who care for public aid patients are woefully inadequate. This proposal has the potential to provide many of the payment reforms we seek for those physicians who truly serve the underserved. We will continue to advocate for changes to the funding mechanism that will reduce the burden on physician services.

We also believe that the road to a true solution will require all parties to “step up” and contribute. That means employers, government, payers, providers and patients themselves.

We need a system where everyone has the opportunity to access quality, affordable health care.

We believe that primary care and preventive services will be the foundation for a healthier Illinois, where every patient will have a medical home. IAFP and the family medicine community must be a proactive, leading partner in this mission to bring our system off the brink of collapse and into a stable, effective and successful future.

A healthier workforce with healthier families is good for Illinois, good for business and good for the economy.