Leatherneck Nation

The State's budget impasse combined with the declining enrollment at Western are having a negative impact on McDonough District Hospital.

In a front-page article in today's McDonough County Voice, MDH CEO Kenny Boyd outlined some factors which are negatively impacting the hospital’s budget.

Among those factors are:

‒ Delayed state payments from employee health insurance plans and Medicaid, averaging 400 days late and totaling $23.3 million over 60 days.

‒ Declines in the number of faculty, staff, and students at Western Illinois University over the past five years totaling 2,650 (350 staff/faculty, 2,300 students), with a resulting negative impact of $10 million on the area economy over the same time period.

Statehouse Insider: Another nail in the fiscal coffin.

By Doug Finke, State Capitol Bureau.

Comptroller Susana Mendoza warned the day of reckoning was coming when it came to paying state bills, when all of those court orders, consent decrees, and state laws requiring automatic payments would outstrip the cash available to meet them all.

That day effectively came Wednesday when a federal judge said Medicaid providers needed to get paid more and faster than they have been. She didn’t say how it should be done. She left that to Mendoza to work out with attorneys for the Medicaid providers.

The state is paying in full for pensions and debt service, and also a large part of K-12 spending. Any of those areas could be possibilities for coming up with money to meet the latest court order. Or maybe they’ll figure out some other way to shift money into payments for Medicaid.

One thing seems certain: No matter how Mendoza decides to comply with the new court order, Gov. Bruce Rauner and his subsidiary, the Illinois Republican Party, will blast her through statements and/or ads for shortchanging whoever gets less money as a result.

With Illinois on a pace to outspend revenues by $6 billion in FY17, the day of reckoning will soon be coming when the "chickens come home to roost".

So 5 schools in the state had their bond status lowered to "JUNK!" They are NIU, SIU, EIU, Northeastern, and Govenor's State. How did WIU make the cut? jc

Neckfansince71 wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:21 pm So 5 schools in the state had their bond status lowered to "JUNK!" They are NIU, SIU, EIU, Northeastern, and Govenor's State. How did WIU make the cut? jc

We did have ours lowered earlier in the year, but I had heard from a few people that Western is at this point, a little better off financially than NIU, SIU, and EIU. We're not at "Junk" yet thankfully.

Neckfansince71 wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:21 pm So 5 schools in the state had their bond status lowered to "JUNK!" They are NIU, SIU, EIU, Northeastern, and Govenors State. How did WIU make the cut?

Sad to report that Western went into "JUNK" status back in April along with SIU. They joined EIU, NEIU, and Governors State who were already in JUNK status.

wiu712 wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:59 pm

Neckfansince71 wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:21 pm So 5 schools in the state had their bond status lowered to "JUNK!" They are NIU, SIU, EIU, Northeastern, and Govenors State. How did WIU make the cut?

Sad to report that Western went into "JUNK" status back in April along with SIU. They joined EIU, NEIU, and Governors State who were already in JUNK status.

Oh....nevermind then.

I read some articles and i am still confused by this announcement. I am truly sick of this whole budget mess. It just seems like it will not go away! jc

From Rich Miller's column on April 25, 2017:

Junk bond status for Illinois universities is troubling.
http://www.nwherald.com/2017/04/24/mill ... g/al031ap/

An already bad situation became even worse in Illinois last week with the federal judge's decision on Medicaid payments. The State will have to find a way to comply with the judge's directive. The State will not be able to ignore a federal judge.

We have 118 people in the House and another 59 in the Senate who can solve this budget impasse if they would be willing to defy their party bosses and instead do the right thing for the people of Illinois.

wiu712 wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2017 8:58 am An already bad situation became even worse in Illinois last week with the federal judge's decision on Medicaid payments. The State will have to find a way to comply with the judge's directive. The State will not be able to ignore a federal judge.

We have 118 people in the House and another 59 in the Senate who can solve this budget impasse if they would be willing to defy their party bosses and instead do the right thing for the people of Illinois.

This. How about these spineless humans represent their constituents, NOT one of two people.