Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is urging Democrats to return to Springfield and pass a budget following a federal court ruling requiring the state to pay more toward Medicaid.
A federal judge ruled Wednesday in favor of some Medicaid service providers who say the state's gotten so late with its healthcare reimbursements that doctors may stop treating those low-income patients. She ordered the state to negotiate with lawyers for Medicaid service providers to try to find a way to speed up payments.
The Republican governor didn’t offer specifics Thursday about where the state should find that money, but he again called for a budget deal.
“What we do is get a balanced budget. We need a balanced budget now,” he said. “We should have had a balanced budget two years ago. I’ve asked the General Assembly majority to come back to Springfield. Please let’s get back to work. Let’s get a balanced budget done.”
Rauner raised the possibility of forcing lawmakers to return by calling a “special session.”