Christie and Carle clinics were described as “stubborn” and “cold-hearted” at a press conference held by the Champaign County Health Care Consumers’ (CCHCC) Health Care Access Task Force Wednesday morning. The consumer group criticized both of the clinics’ current policies regarding the care of Medicaid patients. The press conference was held in response to an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Illinois Attorney General in June 2007 against the clinics and their motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“It’s disheartening to know that for years CCHCC and other organizations and affected consumers have been appealing to Carle and Christie clinics to change their harmful and discriminatory policies and the clinics have stubbornly and cold-heartedly refused to care for large numbers of community members,” said Megan McClaire, hotline coordinator at CCHCC.

According to the Illinois Attorney General’s lawsuit, the clinics made a joint agreement in March 2003 to boycott new Medicaid patients “to increase the effective Medicaid reimbursement rates and to accelerate reimbursement payments.” As a direct result of these practices, many children and adults were unable to receive access to primary care. McClaire said the CCHCC estimates 40 percent of the population is currently in a crisis situation in obtaining access to health care.

“The current crisis in our community is a direct result of the policies at Christie and Carle Clinic,” said Claudia Lennhoff, CCHCC executive director.

Lennhoff described the main points laid out in the Attorney General’s lawsuit. She said the lawsuit includes information that CCHCC has been informing community members of for years, but the Attorney General has actual documentation retrieved from their investigation to support their lawsuit.

Ron Eaker, a member of the CCHCC’s Health Care Task Force since it was created in May 2007, described the clinics’ identical Medicaid policies as “unethical, immoral and discriminatory” and the CCHCC cannot sit and wait for changes to be made.

“We are very gratified to see the Attorney General’s lawsuit against the clinics and we have hopes that the lawsuit will ultimately result in opening access to health care for Medicaid beneficiaries in Champaign County,” McClaire said.