By Ivan Moreno
SPRINGFIELD, ILL.—Cash-strapped Illinois needs to provide in-home nursing care to more than 1,200 children with disabilities and severe medical conditions, a federal judge ordered Wednesday, responding to a lawsuit alleging the state has failed to fulfill its Medicaid obligations.
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Jane Perkins, another plaintiffs’ attorney, said some of the children are currently being treated in hospital intensive care units instead of having a nurse at their home.
She said that’s problematic because children who are “medically fragile” are prone to contracting hospital-borne diseases.
It’s also cheaper for the state to provide in-home care instead of in hospitals. One child cited in the lawsuit spent nine months at a hospital, costing the state $78,000 a month compared to about $20,000 a month to receive treatment at home.
Other children are being cared for by relatives at home.
“It’s affecting their family members. It’s affecting their ability to work,” Perkins said. Read the full article here »
