Quinn signs hospital payment legislation

November 20, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation on Friday that allows the state to tap into federal funding to speed payments to thousands of Illinois-based hospitals.

The bill was signed Friday morning at Children's Memorial Hospital.

The new law creates a program that will make $120 million in one-time federal assistance payments to hospitals that treat high volumes of Medicaid patients as well as rural access hospitals.

The governor said the law will also preserve jobs.

"And we can't forget, we have many, many people who work at hospitals and in healthcare. We have to make sure they continue to work and that they get their paychecks on time especially here at the holidays are safety net hospitals are on the frontline," said Quinn.

The bill does not allow the funding to be diverted to any other projects in the state.

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