Since 2020, Illinois has paid nearly $370 million to the for-profit insurance powerhouse Centene Corp. to manage health care for about 36,700 current and former foster children as part of the state’s YouthCare program. Centene’s data shows only 62% of foster children had an annual dental visit in 2021, 55% of foster children got standard immunizations, and about 67% of adolescents had a “well-care visit” required under Centene’s state contract.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.