56th District rivals debate fix for health care system
Financial concerns over Illinois' health care delivery system have much in common with other aspects of the troubled state budget.
But both Republican hopefuls for the 56th District state House seat believe the motivation this provides doctors to leave Illinois makes it a pressing reason for general concern.
Ryan Higgins, 28, of Schaumburg, is himself an attorney working in the health care industry.
Anita Forte-Scott, 40, also of Schaumburg, is the owner and administrator of a private preschool and day care facility in Elgin who works with many children enrolled in the state's All Kids health care program.
Higgins said a clearly obvious way to help health care in Illinois, as well as other aspects of the state budget, is to eliminate what he considers to be the rampant fraud and over billing in Medicaid.
Spending money on enforcement in the system will reap dividends in savings, Higgins said. As an attorney, he also believes tort reform and its impact on malpractice insurance costs would make Illinois a more attractive place for doctors to work.
Higgins thinks there are some positive aspects to the state's health care system, including Illinois Health Connect and its emphasis on preventive care. Though this spends more money upfront, in one fiscal year it saved Medicaid $100 million in more costly procedures down the road, he said.
He believes expansions in coverage made by former governor Rod Blagojevich were too much too fast, but said federal law may prohibit any rollbacks due to constraints imposed by last year's stimulus bill.
The All Kids program is a particular aspect he would never vote to roll back even if given the opportunity. He think there are enough other places to make cuts.
"It is a financial drain on the system, but I think there are ways to address that without harming innocent kids," Higgins said.
Forte-Scott said her familiarity with the program as a preschool administrator has made her a supporter of All Kids. She added that she knows there are many Republicans who will decry any aspect of Blagojevich's legacy, but this is one program that seems to have worked no matter whose idea it may have been.
"It has worked for many families," Forte-Scott said of All Kids. "It's done what it was intended to do - got those kids out of an emergency room and to a primary care physician."
She added that many people don't realize the program isn't free for everyone - there is a pay scale for different income levels.
Slow reimbursement for state-covered services is a major concern in the Illinois health care system. Forte-Scott said she's done enough research on the issue to realize all sides have a point. The comptroller's Web site shows a lack of funding to pay the bills, yet doctors need money to pay their own bills and many families have nowhere else to go than the emergency room.
Forte-Scott said she'd be willing to privatize some aspects of Medicaid to save money - most likely paperwork and billing - as long as the work went to an Illinois company with no ties to anyone's political campaign.
However, she doesn't favor firing anyone and would hope to find a way to reassign displaced state workers to jobs where they could be used more efficiently.
The winner of the Feb. 2 primary will face Democrat Michelle Mussman in the November general election.
The 56th District includes Schaumburg and portions of Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hanover Park, Roselle and Bloomingdale.