Here's the latest in health care news ...

A Silent Stimulus?

To weather the unrelenting economic recession without slashing services, state governments are going to need more assistance from Washington. Luckily, some help is on the way. And it's coming via an unlikely source.

Today, the Washington Post reports that wedged into the House health care reform bill passed two weekends ago was $23.5 billion directed at states to cover short-term Medicaid costs. Here are the details:

Medicaid relief for states comprised one of the biggest pieces of February's $787 billion federal stimulus package, but that funding will run out next year, halfway through states' next round of spending plans.

Under the Affordable Health Care for America Act, the federal government would continue to pay a higher share of all Medicaid costs -- 66 percent on average, up from 57 percent before the stimulus -- for an additional six months, and erase in one fell swoop a major chunk of states' projected shortfalls for the coming year.

If enacted, this would be a huge boon to state lawmakers clawing to close projected 2011 budget gaps in the coming months. The provision is not included in the Senate version yet, but there is still plenty of time to insert it.

SJ-R: Consider The Greater Good

Some news outlets in Illinois have been very critical of the health care reform packages being pushed through Congress. Just a few weeks ago, the Tribune editorial board all but endorsed the House GOP alternative bill, which would cover 12 times fewer uninsured Americans than the Democrats' proposal while saving less money. But the State Journal-Register has a different view. Pivoting off their recent profile of Verta Wells -- a Springfield resident who died because her lack of insurance prevented her from detecting her early signs of breast cancer -- the editorial board calls on lawmakers to "consider the greater good" and extend access to all Americans:

If terrorists killed 18,000 Americans annually – 15,000 more than died on 9/11 – it would be an outrage that would spur Americans to quickly come up with a solution and take swift action.

But when lack of health care is the cause of so much unnecessary death, too many of us furrow our brow, wag our finger and make assumptions and moral judgments about the uninsured that have little basis in fact. [...]

It is a national character flaw that shocks the conscience. While we treasure our country's unique individualism, when it comes to health care, there needs to be a willingness to consider the greater good. Verta Wells's story reminds us of that.

Read the whole piece here.

Unions Drop New Ads

As the final details of the health reform bills in Washington are ironed out, two major labor unions are hitting the airwaves in Illinois, targeting suburban legislators over their votes on health care. AFSCME is running identical ads supporting two Democratic congressmen -- Reps. Bill Foster and Debbie Halvorson -- who voted for the House measure last week. You can view the Foster spot here:

Meanwhile, the Foundation for Patients' Rights -- a new health reform advocacy group founded by the Service Employees International Union (whose Illinois state council sponsors this website) -- is running an ad against GOP Rep. Mark Kirk for his opposition to the proposal. Watch it:

(H/T Joseph Ryan)

Hare: GOP's Plan "Woefully Inadequate"

Rep. Phil Hare also took some cracks at the Republican's alternative bill during a Springfield press conference last Friday. Calling it "woefully inadequate," the Quad City Democrat blasted his GOP colleagues for failing to craft a proposal that extended coverage to all Americans. Watch it:

AHIP Rally Tomorrow

Tomorrow, don't forget to stop by the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago where eight small businesses owners from across the country will meet outside the annual conference of America's Health Insurance Plans -- the nation's top health insurance lobby -- to deliver a letter demanding to speak with CEO Karen Ignagni about her organization's position on health care reform. The action begins at 12 pm. Check out the specifics at their website.