No cuts seen in Medicaid birth benefits in Illinois, By Carla K. Johnson (AP), March 11, 2012, State Journal-Register: “Among the facts of life when trying to balance the Illinois budget is this: Medicaid plays a huge role in paying for childbirth in Illinois. It’s not going to change any time soon, and it illustrates why lawmakers may have so much difficulty reining in spending this year. As Gov. Pat Quinn noted in his budget address last month, more than 50 percent of all births in Illinois are paid for by the state and federal health care program for the poor and disabled. In part, that’s because Illinois has fairly liberal income eligibility levels for pregnant women compared to other states…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty