Merry Christmas, AFSCME! You may get up to 520 new jobs in the state's Department of Human Services. A private contractor that has done an extraordinary job of scrubbing the state's Medicaid rolls of ineligible people is being shown the door so unionized state workers can take over.
We've told readers about this case. Gov. Pat Quinn's administration hired Virginia-based Maximus Health Services Inc. to investigate how many people on the Medicaid rolls actually qualify for Medicaid. Thousands of ineligible recipients were identified and removed.
But the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a complaint, and an arbitrator ruled that the Maximum deal violated AFSCME's contract with the state. Quinn wisely appealed the ruling ... but now he has surrendered.
Quinn dropped the state's appeal Tuesday and agreed to shift the job of vetting Medicaid recipients from Maximus workers to state workers. Quinn said the new deal was the best way to keep the program running and avoid the legal wrangling. Read the rest of the editorial in the Chicago Tribune.
Other stories you might be interested in reading:
Backroom deal threatens bipartisan Medicaid reforms
Illinois Watchdog: Despite ‘staggering’ success, Illinois drops Medicaid fraud finder
Bellock urges public hearing to discuss future of Medicaid program