Illinois’ latest numbers show more than 3.2 million people enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program. (Photo courtesy Illinois Dept. of Public Health)

Illinois is looking to answer what should be a simple question about its Medicaid program.

For the first time, Illinois is going to track why people are leaving its Medicaid rolls.

Illinois always tracked how many people were enrolled in Medicaid and how much it cost.

But State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said the state is now going to track why people leave the program.

Demmer said lawmakers need to know who is leaving Medicaid and who simply ‘fell off.’

“If we had the wrong address and somebody didn’t respond, they might come back on the Medicaid rolls a month from now, two months from now, or a year from now,” Demmer said. “We need a better idea of what’s changed and why, to get a real idea if their redetermination will stick.”

Demmer says once lawmakers have an idea why people are moving on and off the Medicaid program they can try and find some solutions.

“As we look for those redetermination numbers, we’ll understand why those people were removed from the rolls,” Demmer said. “It’ll help us get a better sense of what some of the problems are of the underlying issues may be.”

Illinois’ latest numbers show more than 3.2 million people enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program. Total Medicaid spending in Illinois is nearly $17 billion in the 2014 reporting year.

— Illinoisans are leaving Medicaid, but why?–