The state of Illinois owes its hospitals a huge bill, according to an article on the Crains Chicago website. The budget crisis is tying up crucial reimbursements.
At Downers Grove-based Advocate Health Care, the biggest hospital chain in Illinois, the stack of unpaid bills is $81 million.
The state isn't paying the healthcare bills of its own employees or retirees either.
The situation is forcing hospital executives to make tough decisions, from putting off paying their vendors to forgoing facilities upgrades.