Illinois Has Cut Mental Health Care by 31.7 Percent in Last Four Years; Crisis Includes Medicaid Pressures

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Nov 10, 2011, 09:00 ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Illinois has cut $187 million from mental health care between 2009 and 2012 according to a national report issued by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

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Proportionately, Illinois ranks number one in mental health budget cuts from FY11-FY12, but overall Illinois ranks the fourth worst in the nation, having made 31.7 percent in cuts over four years, compared to South Carolina, which ranked the worst (39.3 percent cuts) and North Dakota, which increased funds by 48.2%.

For 2012 alone, the state has approved a cut of $62.2 million or an additional 13.4 percent from the last fiscal year. Nationwide, mental health cuts totaled $1.8 billion.

See the full report for state by state data.

"People with life-threatening mental illness are being abandoned," said Lora Thomas, Executive Director, NAMI Illinois. "It's not just budget cuts in direct services."

Following expiration in June 2011 of "enhanced" federal matching funds under Medicaid that had been provided as part of economic stimulus legislation, Illinois' mental health budget was further squeezed by an estimated $553 million.
In order to receive more federal funds under the current Medicaid "match" formula, some stares have begun to divert mental health dollars from direct services to Medicaid. In those states, the diversion won't affect people with mental illness who qualify for Medicaid—but there are some people with mental illness that do not.
If the congressional Super Committee recommends cuts in Medicaid, in weeks ahead, additional pressures will come into play. Proposal for cuts in Medicaid have ranged from $75 to almost $200 billion.

"We need Members of Congress and state officials to pay close attention," Thomas said. "Budget numbers may not be fun to read, but people's lives hang in the balance."

About NAMI

NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness