The state's Department of Healthcare and Family Services is taking steps to implement Medicaid reforms passed last year.  Director Julie Hamos sent a letter to the federal government outlining the steps they intend to take in order to make the reforms a reality.  The move comes on the heels of recent criticism from both House and Senate Republicans.  They blasted Quinn's administration for wanting to add 100-thousand new people to the system in Cook County, even after lawmakers agreed not to expand the program. 

The moratorium was just one of the steps the legislature took last year in order to rein in the cost of Medicaid.  They also decided people would have to show proof of Illinois residency and income before they could qualify for the taxpayer-paid benefits.  Senate Republicans say about 650 million dollars could be saved each year if just six percent of Medicaid recipients were deemed ineligible for benefits because they didn'tt meet residency requirements.