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Caregiver Medicaid payments proposed

Posted February 14, 2008 10:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

Even though he just formally unveiled the Family Member Caregiver Initiative, state Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, says people have been responding to the proposed law, which would let full-time spousal caregivers receive Medicaid payments.

"We've already had calls to our office and e-mails and that, people saying they're relieved that somebody's finally paying attention to this," Koehler said Thursday at a Capitol news conference.

Senate Bill 2112 was inspired by two Peoria-area women, Kathi Kupferschmid and Stefanie Eklund, who are 24-hour caregivers for their disabled husbands. In Illinois and most other states, full-time spousal caregivers cannot receive Medicaid payments.

"What this bill does is it corrects an injustice," said Sen. Dale Risinger, a Peoria Republican who is co-sponsoring the legislation with Koehler and Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville.

"I'd be surprised if it doesn't pass because it's really one of those things that just makes sense to do," Risinger added.

Rep. Donald Moffitt, R-Gilson, plans to sponsor the legislation in the House.

"It's simply an idea whose time has come," Moffitt said. "It's one that has really got the attention of citizens around the state who definitely agree that this is needed."

Kupferschmid, of East Peoria, was told she could receive caregiver payments only by divorcing her husband, Dennis. He has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, which has paralyzed everything but his eyelids.

Eklund, of Knoxville ,married Bryan Eklund, for whom she'd been a paid caregiver, even though she knew she would lose about $1,800 in monthly Medicaid payments.

Koehler said Thursday he doesn't know how many other people his bill would affect if it becomes law.

First, though, it must pass in the Senate and House and get signed by the governor. At present, the legislation is in the Senate Rules Committee, which is the first stop for all bills that originate in the Senate.

"It's a bill that you do because it's the right thing," Koehler said. "As is obvious by our being up here in a bipartisan way, this is a bipartisan bill because it affects people throughout this state."

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292

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