Illinois: ACA Medicaid expansion up to 350K (44% of total eligible)

The good news: Illinois ACA Medicaid expansion is up to 350K, a 20K increase from 2 weeks ago. This represents 44% of the 800K eligible for the expansion program in the state.

The bad news (or good news, depending on your POV): There's nother 250K still in the hopper to be processed. Assuming the same 70% approval rate, that should increase the enrollment number by another 175K.

As of last week, Illinois' backlog of unprocessed Medicaid applications stood at 250,000, up from about 200,000 state officials reported in mid-March, but down from a peak of nearly 500,000 in early April, according to state data.

Since Oct. 1, the start of open enrollment in an expanded Medicaid program authorized by the federal health law, the state has received nearly 900,000 applications for public aid, most of which included Medicaid. Thus far, it has processed about 650,000 of them, granting coverage to about 450,000.

Roughly 350,000 gained Medicaid coverage under the health law, which expanded eligibility to all adults who make less than about $15,500 a year. The remainder gained coverage under old Medicaid parameters, which generally covered children, families and a category of older, sicker patients.