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A couple of thoughts from today’s DCFS hearing: 
In the short term at least, the MCO shift is looking like a total disaster. They don’t have the network, there are going to be a lot of kids losing care, and they don’t even know where some of these former kids are.
Which leads to my next thought - rather than just tell the committee we aren’t there yet - they literally lied about knowing where former youth in care are. When pressed, they sort of back tracked - but truth is they don’t know.
The testimony was full of buzz words and feel good statements but in the end the whole system is built on the false idea that these kids have proactive advocates. That just isn’t true,
In a perfect world, their case worker would have small caseloads, their GALs would be fully trained and available, their medical professionals would have time to advocate and even their foster parent would have the training. We don’t live in a perfect world.
So knowing that these kids won’t have the advocates they need - it made Sen. @RobertJPeters question that more telling. In it he asked bluntly if the MCO planned to make a profit off of foster kids. After a moment of silence they said yes.
The MCO makes money off of “efficiencies” which often looks more like denial of claims and referral of cheaper less effective treatments. It saves the state money by denying foster kids care. Yay us!
When you don’t have the providers in your network around specialized care or in some rural areas - the foster youth can’t get costly needed services = $
When they don’t know where the former foster youth is they can’t get healthcare = $$
When the MCO denies claims and the kids don’t have proper advocates to fight for the care they need = $$$
And I haven’t even touched on the second half of the hearing where we heard gems like despite the influx of money to the department and media reporting - wait times for BMNs staying in hospitals are even LONGER.
To which a representative of DCFS, when pressed why kids are staying in more costly hospitals longer, went on to brag that they sent a letter to providers. A letter. To which she announced they got 10% to respond back.
Who sends a letter to address an urgent shortage of residential beds? Just weird
So much winning in Illinois - by saving money earmarked for foster kids and former youth in care. #SMDH
