Today, the Illinois Senate gave final approval to SB1851, a measure affecting (in part) the health care provided to children under the care of DCFS as the State increasingly relies on managed care organizations to provide health care.  The following statement on the issue can be attributed to Nora Collins-Mandeville, Director of Systems Reform Policy at the ACLU of Illinois:

We congratulate the General Assembly on its bi-partisan support for passing critical protections for children under the care of DCFS, protections that are necessary as the State continues to migrate to the use of managed care.  The measure passed assures that youth in DCFS care receive continued care through the migration process. For many children, their care is highly individualized and critically important to the child’s development and well-being.  It should not be disrupted because of efforts to save money. 

We urge the Governor to sign this measure into law as quickly as possible.  But we also recognize that this measure – protecting health care for DCFS children – is only a small step in reforming the DCFS system so that it addresses the needs of each child in a thoughtful way.  We look forward to continuing to work on that process with the legislature and the executive branch.