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Cook County health fund outlook worsens: CountyCare cites utilization surge and federal policy risk

Cook County Independent Revenue Forecasting Commission · January 28, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

County health fund presenters reported a FY25 surplus but warned of a projected $100 million deficit in 2026 driven by higher utilization and membership changes; CountyCare said utilization surged in late 2025 among ACA and immigrant populations, increasing near-term claims costs.

County health fund staff told the Independent Revenue Forecasting Commission they are projecting a substantial swing in the health fund between 2025 and 2026 driven by utilization and pending federal and state policy changes.

"For 2025 we are currently projecting there to be a surplus of about a $166,000,000," Ray, the health fund presenter, said. He added that the county is currently estimating a roughly $100 million deficit for 2026 and emphasized that out-year pressures remain from expected federal policy changes and changes to state eligibility rules.

CountyCare's chief administrative officer, Aaron Galiner,…

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