Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation expected to increase the number of adults enrolled in the state's Medicaid program by 342,000 by 2017.
State lawmakers enacted the measure as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion provision. The new law will expand Medicaid coverage to adults with an annual income below 138 percent of the federal poverty line. Newly eligible individuals can enroll starting Oct. 1, with coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
Under the PPACA, coverage of newly eligible adults will be 100 percent federally funded for the first three years, with the reimbursement rate phasing down to 90 percent by 2020. This means the state will receive more than $12 billion in new federal funding for healthcare from 2014 to 2020, according to state officials.
"In the home state of President Obama, we believe access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right, and we proudly embrace the Affordable Care Act," Gov. Quinn said in a news release. "This legislation will greatly improve the health of hundreds of thousands of people across
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