CountyCare, the managed Medicaid plan of Chicago-based Cook County Health, owes about $350 million to physicians in unpaid claims, according to Crain's Chicago Business.
While under Illinois law CountyCare must pay claims within 30 days, the health plan's CEO James Kiamos told board members during a Feb. 28 meeting that CountyCare was more than 90 days behind schedule on its claims payments.
Mr. Kiamos said the late turnaround was due to delayed payments from Illinois and Cook County, calling the lag a "byproduct of funding" in Illinois' managed Medicaid system, not a "byproduct of plan operations," according to Crain's.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Crain's found CountyCare received more than 30 complaints from hospitals and other providers claiming they were owed money from the plan. CountyCare's parent organization, the Department of Healthcare & Family Services, didn't immediately respond to Crain's request for comment.
Access the Crain's report here.
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