Rauner’s proposed budget holds the line on the Illinois health-care spending
Rauner’s proposed budget holds the line on the Illinois health-care spending
Health-care savings come from proposed cuts to state-employee health insurance, reinstating Medicaid reforms and ending duplicative services.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
New poll: Illinoisans want to bring state employees’ health-insurance benefits in line with their own
New poll: Illinoisans want to bring state employees’ health-insurance benefits in line with their own
The health-benefits package provided to state workers contains much richer benefits than the average Illinoisan might receive, while paying a smaller amount for these benefits.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Why Rauner should roll back Illinois’ Medicaid expansion ASAP
Why Rauner should roll back Illinois’ Medicaid expansion ASAP
Services for the most vulnerable Medicaid populations will be first in line for budget cuts. Childless, able-bodied adults will be last.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: Americans want control
ObamaCare: Americans want control
The president’s signature health-insurance overhaul is as unpopular as ever. And the underlying causes for dissatisfaction continue to worsen.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
ObamaCare: The year ahead
ObamaCare: The year ahead
The Affordable Care Act is headed back to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Is Medicaid access about to get worse in Illinois?
Is Medicaid access about to get worse in Illinois?
Illinois’ Medicaid reimbursement rates are dropping back to about 54 percent of what the federal Medicare program pays for similar visits and procedures.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Long ER waits at University of Chicago not surprising in the wake of ACA
Long ER waits at University of Chicago not surprising in the wake of ACA
There should be little doubt that these access problems will be exacerbated as the state has essentially handed out 500,000 Medicaid cards without providing any additional capacity for patient care.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
What Rauner can do to reform social services in Illinois
What Rauner can do to reform social services in Illinois
There is clearly no lack of commitment aimed at supporting those in need here in Illinois. The question is how to do a better job of it.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
The fiscal nail in the single-payer coffin
The fiscal nail in the single-payer coffin
Health-care access and affordability are important goals. But they will never be achieved with a single-payer system – and that isn’t bad news.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Will Congress finally live by the same set of rules under ObamaCare?
Will Congress finally live by the same set of rules under ObamaCare?
If lawmakers begin to enter the ObamaCare exchanges themselves, it will certainly draw attention to the hypocrisy of some lawmakers who have imposed this costly law on Americans. But perhaps more importantly, it could serve as an important lever to force lawmakers to re-examine the most damaging aspects of the law.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
No more blank checks for ObamaCare insurers
No more blank checks for ObamaCare insurers
The new federal spending bill, dubbed the “CRomnibus,” codifies that the ACA payments to insurers are budget-neutral, as the revenue to fund them will come from fees already assessed on health-insurance plans. This is not the blank check that insurers were hoping for.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange
Illinois lawmakers deserve praise for holding off on state-funded ObamaCare exchange
It might be rare to heap praise on Illinois’ state lawmakers, but their decision not to move forward on a state-funded exchange deserves recognition.
By Naomi Lopez Bauman