SPRINGFIELD – Spouses of people in Medicaid-funded long-term care facilities could soon be able to keep more of their own personal savings thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest).
“Far too often, spouses of older adults in long-term care facilities are forced to pay high out-of-pocket rates for their own medical needs to ensure their loved one can keep their care,” Morrison said. “By aligning Illinois’ allowance for community spouses with the rest of the country, we are signaling to older adults that we care for them and wish to give them the ability to care for themselves and their spouse with no added stress.”
Morrison’s measure will put Illinois in line with nearly every other state in the nation by increasing the allowance for the community spouse resource allowance for older adults whose spouses are in nursing homes and receiving Medicaid benefits. The allowance is the amount of resources a spouse can keep of the couple’s resources without affecting their husband or wife’s long-term care facility nursing home application.
In 2012, Illinois froze its rates for spouses of individuals who receive Medicaid-funded, long-term care at $2,739 per month, so those spouses are not receiving an annual bump in their benefits. However, in many other states across the country, the amount is set at $3,259.
“What we are asking is for Illinois to bring itself to the standard where we are complying with the federal rate. Illinois is in the extreme minority in this situation,” said Steve Andersson, who represented AARP during the committee. “We should allow these folks who are facing the unfortunate reality that their spouse is in a nursing home to be able to keep more of their own money.”
Senate Bill 2962 passed the Senate Health Committee Tuesday. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) released the following statement regarding the tragic loss of life of Deidre Silas, a Department of Children and Family Services’ employee. Silas was stabbed to death in Thayer Tuesday afternoon while performing a home visit.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the tragic death of Deidre Silas, a dedicated DCFS employee. Her top priority was helping some of the most vulnerable, at-risk children in our state. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Deidre.
“This is not the first employee death we have seen at DCFS in recent years. I, alongside other legislators, will immediately call upon Director Smith to review the agency’s policies to ensure no other life of someone called to protect our children is brutally lost.”
From ProPublica, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
An Illinois lawmaker said she will propose legislation to require hospital employees to report suspected patient-on-patient sexual assaults to law enforcement.
The proposal, from State Sen. Julie Morrison, a Lake Forest Democrat, was prompted by a ProPublica investigation that found that Roseland Community Hospital officials failed to report a possible sexual assault of a patient in its psychiatric ward, even though it was captured on surveillance video.
Morrison, chair of the senate health committee, said she was “appalled that a report was not made to law enforcement.” Currently, only alleged assaults of patients by hospital employees must be reported to law enforcement.
“I don’t believe any patient should lose the human rights of being protected in a hospital, regardless of who assaults them,” Morrison said in an interview. “People in these locked facilities are very vulnerable anyway. They have so many issues they are trying to deal with, and to not have that very minimal protection for their safety is totally unacceptable.” Read more
Morrison leads Senate Health Committee hearing on future of health care Thursday
CHICAGO – As health care continues to evolve, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) wants to study trends and have open dialogue with health care professionals to bring Illinois to the forefront of the future of care.
That led her to chair a Senate Heath Committee Subject Matter Hearing on the future of health care Thursday.
“We have an opportunity to rely on the data and innovation behind the booming health care and IT industries and start to forecast our health care future,” Morrison said.
Morrison spearheaded the committee to discuss the future of health care – including innovations in telehealth, technology and other ways in which health care is being delivered.
During the committee, she was joined by a number of health care and IT professionals. They dove into the economics, innovation, data and delivery of services surrounding the health care system. Together, Morrison and the committee discussed ways in which the state can help people in all corners of Illinois receive quality, affordable health care.
“Today’s committee was a chance to look ahead and define ways in which we can ensure a future that prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity in the health care realm,” Morrison said. “This is just the beginning of charting a course for modern medicine and life sciences in Illinois.”
As her time in the Illinois General Assembly continues, Morrison hopes to have more frequent conversations about how to put the state on track to forecasting a future that encompasses accessible and reliable care for all.
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