Medicaid for All? No Proof of IL Residency Required!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-quinn-to-obama-illinois-moving-ahead-on-medicaid-fraud-crackdown-20120209,0,7704831.story

While the state is broke, Illinois politicians in the majority are on the record promoting an expansion in the state's Medicaid program to coincide with the 2014 ObamaCare phase-in. Setting aside my feelings on that, this article proves far more disturbing for two reasons:

1) The state may be providing free health care for more than 100,000 people WHO DON'T EVEN LIVE IN ILLINOIS.
2) Illinois' belated efforts to address the issue of Medicaid fraud are being blocked by the federal government in the name of easy enrollment. To paraphrase the federal government's position: making people prove they live in Illinois makes it harder for them to sign up, and we don't want to discourage anyone from joining the Medicaid rolls - regardless of whether they should be eligible.

This mess is only going to get worse as the federal government gets involved in states' administration of Medicaid. I'll keep watching as this unfolds, but don't expect any good news...