Progress Illinois

There are two new campaign ads out this afternoon.

First up, Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias' campaign has a new web video slamming GOP frontrunner Mark Kirk for seeking Sarah Palin's support:

On a related note, the Sun-Times editorial board criticized the North Shore Republican this morning in a piece headlined "Moving right might cost Kirk election."

Next is 10th Congressional District candidate Julie Hamos, who released her first TV spot today. Health care is the theme. "Let's not let this moment in history pass us by," she says about the prospect of reform. Watch it:  

Speaking of health care, United Power for Action and Justice and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law have published a new video featuring two physicians explaining why they believe reform is necessary.  Watch it:

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This past spring, a new $16 million system implemented by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) turned out to be so flawed that patient mental health bills weren’t submitted to the state for six months in 2008. This so-called "glitch" led to a loss of more than $1million in state funding and almost resulted in the closure down four clinics on the city's South Side.  Back in July we took Daley administration officials at their word when they said that the problems were fixed.

Big mistake.

During the ongoing city budget hearings yesterday, it was revealed that the system is still not working properly. Outgoing CDPH chief Terry Mason told aldermen that fixing the $16 million Cerner system -- which was supposed to represent an upgrade -- remains "an active process."

To his credit, Ald. Rick Munoz (22nd Ward) pressed him on the matter: "You're saying that after 18 months you're unable to work out technical glitches that prevent us from billing the state?" "That is correct," Mason responded.

Budget Committee Chair Ald. Carrie Austin (34th Ward) assured Munoz that the Cerner system would be fixed within "months."

"Months?" Munoz asked.  Austin replied that she couldn't offer a "specific date."

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How federal health care reform will affect state finances is a concern held by many policy wonks across the country, especially those from states dealing with devastating budget shortfalls. It worries Illinois' own Rep. Phil Hare, as well. But speaking on C-SPAN's Washington Journalthis morning, the Quad City Democrat said he is confident that betweennow and 2013 -- when most of the major provisions of the bill will beimplemented -- reformers can develop safeguards to prevent any unfundedmandates on state governments.

Hare also talked up the high cost faced by American families andhealth care providers if no action is taken on this issue. Heillustrated the point by citing data from his own district, where anestimated 100,000 people lack insurance.He reported that, three years ago, Monmouth Hospital administered$400,000 worth of care to the uninsured. Two years ago,that number jumped to $1.3 million. Last year, the facility -- locatedin a town of 13,000 -- dolled out $2.8 million in charity care."If anybody doesn't think we have a financial problem out here onhealth care," Hare said, "they need to go to Monmouth, Illinois." Watchit:

The latest news from the health care reform battle -- both in D.C. and here on the homefront.

A Final Bill By Christmas?

Now that health care legislation has passed out of the five relevant committees on Capitol Hill, health care advocates are starting to wonder when both chambers of Congress will take up the bills in earnest. While House leaders are moving quickly, Illinois' own Dick Durbin says that progress might be slower in the Senate. The Hill has a quick story up today outlining the reasons for the possible delay:

Even while House leaders pressed forward for a vote on a House version this week, [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid and Durbin said their hands are tied until the CBO releases its cost estimate of the Senate bill. Then the document would be published online for public review, possibly revised and re-analyzed by the CBO, and then several weeks would be needed for House-Senate conference talks.

Despite months-old predictions of a bill before Christmas, with only six weeks of legislative time remaining in the year Durbin acknowledged a healthcare bill in 2009 “is certainly a challenge.”

Will Sen. Roland Burris join Durbin and vote in favor of health care reform when he's eventually presented with the final bill? In the past few weeks, Illinois' junior senator has received heaps of media attention for his principled stance in favor of a robust public option. But the vast majority of those media outlets have failed to ask him the most relevant question: Does he intend to filibuster a bill lacking a public option or just vote against its final passage. All indications are that he would stand with his party and approve cloture, undercutting the severity of his threat:

"It's certainly going to be tough, in terms of getting this done," [Burris] told WGN-TV. "I've let it be known unequivocally that I would not support any legislation -- now they may get the 60 votes to pass it. I'm not going to be an obstructionist. I'm not here for some ego trip. I'm here to speak out for the people who have spoken to me."

Unfortunately, Sen. Joe Lieberman's threat seems very real. Yesterday, Reid's office denied reports that the lawmakers agreed in private to vote for cloture on health care. If no Republicans cross the aisle, the Democrats will need Lieberman's support to break a filibuster, a obstructionist tactic he has previously called "unfair."

Abortion Funding

While the Senate moves forward cautiously, the House is barreling ahead, preparing to vote on a final bill Saturday at about 6 p.m ET.

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On multiple occasions this month, Fox Chicago has parroted conservative talking points about the health care bills circulating in Washington and their purported effect on Medicare. So it probably should come as no surprise that the station's anchors would fail to rebut such claims when put forward by their guests.

Still, it's irritating to watch this exchange between GOP Rep. Peter Roskam and Fox Chicago Sunday host Jack Conaty yesterday. In the first minute of his appearance, Roskam asserts that the House health care bill "goes after seniors" because it cuts "Medicare by $500 billion." Watch it:

Democrats have proposed reforms that will slow or eliminate some Medicare spending overtime. These include a number of measures, such as changes to the flawed physician payment system and the elimination of unnecessary subsides to the wasteful Medicare Advantage program. By ironing out inefficiencies, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that this policy change could achieve $500 billion in gross savings over ten years. That money would be plowed back into the system to expand care to those who lack coverage. But benefits for most seniors will not be cut be cut as a result. And for those enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the program that allows private providers to compete for Medicare patients, all they would lose would be extraneous add-ons like vision care or gym club memberships, not standard coverage. Conaty should have these facts at his fingertips.

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It was a big day for health care on Capitol Hill yesterday. The leadership of the U.S. House officially unveiled its health care package and the Congressional Budget Office offered its preliminary score of the measure. To mark the occasion, Fox Chicago whipped up a quick report on the developments. Unfortunately, it was a pretty partisan presentation. Watch it:

Let's start with the CBO's score of the bill, which FOX says "will cost $1 trillion over 10 years." According to the budget wonks in DC, the legislation’s coverage cost will be closer to $894 billion over that stretch. It is also projected to cut the deficit by more than $100 billion during that period and cover 96 percent of legal residents by 2019, providing comprehensive insurance to more people at a cost equal to the Senate bill. In other words, it meets all of the president's main criteria.

How does it achieve those goals?

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North Shore Republican Rep. Mark Kirk has hit the airwaves with a new radio spot bashing the Democrats' health care reform effort. The Plum Line's Greg Sergeant nabbed the audio and has posted it online. Click on the video to hear the U.S. Senate candidate's message:

"Democrats in Washington want to put the government in charge of your health care. But Congressman Mark Kirk is fighting back. He's leading to effort to stop the government takeover. He offered the Republican alternative: lawsuit reform, no government interference with your doctor, the right to buy coverage from any state in the union, and no cuts to Medicare. Illinois needs a U.S. Senator like Mark Kirk who will stand up for seniors."

Like his machinations regarding cap-and-trade, this is certainly some red meat for the skeptical conservative base. And for those of you who have followed our coverage of Kirk's health care criticisms, there's nothing new in here.

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Medicaid "reform" as the cure-all to the state's budget woes is one myth that just won't die. The latest Republican official to predict gigantic cost savings without showing any support for the claim is State Rep. Dennis Reboletti (R-Addison), who suggested Monday on WTTW's Chicago Tonight that Illinois could save "over $1 billion dollars" by moving patients into a private managed care network. Here's the excerpt (you can watch the whole panel here):

REBOLETTI: We have talked about reforming Medicaid and saving over $1 billion dollars.

MARIN: What would be the principal reform off of Medicaid?

REBOLETTI: It would be $1 billion going to managed care. And by doing that we looked at the cost savings we would see. We've seen some cost savings in caucus that would save $1 billion off the top.

For those just getting caught up, here's a quick recap and rebuttal.

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Yesterday marked a solemn milestone for the service workers at the Congress Hotel in downtown Chicago. For six years, four months, and 11 days, UNITE-HERE Local 1 members have walked their picket line in hopes of securing fair wages and benefits, marking the longest hotel strike in the nation's history. But apart from the Congress dispute, the specter of more work stoppages is hanging over the union and the 6,000 Chicago workers it represents across the city.

The three-year contract covering UNITE-HERE Local 1 workers at 30 downtown hotels expired on August 31. In the seven weeks since, despite intense pressure from the labor community and its advocates, union negotiators told the Tribune that little progress has been made. "Things have gotten really bad," said Annemarie Strassel, spokesperson for Local 1. "I think that employers see the bad economy as an opportunity to ram through proposals."

Yesterday afternoon, members of Local 1 marched up and down Michigan Avenue, stopping at the Congress, the Hilton, the Blackstone (where the local and the roughly 200 workers it represents have been negotiating a contract for months) to demand that the city's workers are treated fairly.

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

The Politics Of The Public Option

Just as it dominated the debate this summer, the public option has reemerged as the most-discussed provision in the Democrats' effort to reform the nation's health care system. Beginning with a closed-door meeting last Tuesday night between officials from the Senate and White House, legislative momentum seems to be building in its favor. That Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and the Senate Democratic leadership appear ready to write a public option into their final bill is a huge victory unto itself (this because it would require 60 votes to strip the provision from the compromise bill on the floor). The New Republic's Jonathan Cohn posted a helpful breakdown of the various moving parts Friday morning.  This insight is the key takeaway: "The debate isn't over whether to include a public option," he wrote. "It's over what kind."

Now, to the specifics. On the House side, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) reportedly gave members of her caucus two main options in a meeting late last week: pass a bill with a government-run plan that either reimburses doctors at five percent more than Medicare rates or that negotiates reimbursement levels with providers. The former version, which Pelosi favors, would likely save about $60 billion over 10 years, according to previous projections from the Congressional Budget Office. Politico reports that the speaker does not yet have enough support to pass that plan, but the whip count remains fluid.

In the other chamber, the discussion is focused on compromises. Today, Sen. Reid announced that the bill he will bring to the floor will include a public health insurance option that individual states could decline to participate in. Both politically and on the policy merits, this "opt-out" version is far superior to the "trigger option" favored by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Sen. Kent Conrad's (D-ND) co-ops, or the opt-in public option. But "centrists," including Snowe, aren't too fond of it. It might take the White House's political muscle to nudge those reluctant votes along.  In the meantime, there's a good possibility that the provision could survive a cloture motion, even if 60 votes aren't yet secured. (Josh Marshall has more background on the "opt-out.")

Meanwhile, 10th District congressional candidate Julie Hamos is circulating a petition in favor of a public option. Watch the accompanying video below:

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