Progress Illinois

For the countless Cook County residents who've spent long days in crowded health clinics and emergency rooms waiting to see a doctor, a new government study highlighting the magnitude of the local uninsured population probably doesn't come as much of a stunner.

A new U.S. Census Bureau study reports that 785,000 Cook County residents do not have health insurance. That's 17 percent of the overall population. Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D) actually suspects the figure, based off a 2005 census report, is low.

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Conservative health care reformers love to bash state regulations. In their estimation, differing regulations keep premiums artificially high in some states by restricting consumer choice. John McCain has railed against these regulations on the stump and in Tuesday's debate. Right-leaning economists claim that as many as 12 million people who are currently uninsured could end up purchasing medical coverage if interstate competition were allowed. The Illinois Policy Institute, a Springfield-based right-wing think tank, argues Illinois families could save a bundle:

With the ability to purchase insurance in Iowa, a downstate family of four could expect to save $200 per year while a Chicagoland family would save over $3,000 per year.

But as Sandy Praeger, the president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, told the Tribune's Judith Graham, lifting restrictions on the sale of insurance across state lines opens up an entirely new can of worms.

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Marty Ozinga really should have watched his words back in July. Opponents of the 11th District GOP congressional candidate have jumped all over a cable access interview we originally flagged in which the concrete magnate opined that "very few people nowadays that have no health service at all," because anyone can "go to the hospital and you get taken care of."

First, the DCCC issued an ad calling Ozinga "oblivious." Democratic rival Debbie Halvorson joined the chorus, dropping an ad painting her opponent as "out of touch." According to The Hill, the health care reform coalition Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is also getting in on the action.

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Barack Obama describes John McCain's health care proposal as "radical." Tribune health care reporter Judith Graham and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman concur. McCain himself obviously disagrees. But according to a new study (PDF) by the Economic Policy Institute, the Arizona senator doesn't have much ground to stand on.  EPI asserts that his plan will make it radically more difficult for Illinoisans to receive affordable medical care:

At the state level we find that the state of Illinois would see 848,281 people lose employer-sponsored health insurance under the McCain plan, and virtually all of these people would be forced to buy health insurance in the expensive and chaotic private insurance market. This means that 11.1% of people in Illinois who currently have employer-sponsored health insurance.

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Just over two years ago, Gov. Blagojevich signed an administrative order extending health, dental, and vision insurance coverage to same-sex partners of state employees. In doing so, Illinois joined 14 other states and the District of Columbia in providing equal services to all its public workers. According to a new study (PDF) by the Center for American Progress, it was a valuable move -- inclusive benefits laws have virtually no downsides and come with a few perks, too:

Minimal costs: The benefits would create only a marginal added cost. In Iowa, for example, only 0.5 percent of benefit spending goes toward domestic partners. Even this percentage is higher than we expect the federal government would experience, since many states include both same-sex and different-sex partners in their domestic partner benefit programs, unlike the proposed federal program.

Higher retention and recruitment rates: Gay and lesbian employees often cite benefit programs as a key factor in their decision to leave or stay at a job. As more private-sector employers offer domestic partner benefits, states such as Vermont and Washington have found that matching this benefit helps them to attract the best workforce

Strong public support: When Arizona considered offering domestic partner benefits in 2006, 787 of the 913 public comments concerning the decision were supportive of extending the benefits. Recent polling also shows that 69 percent of Americans believe that same-sex partners should receive benefits.

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Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson went on air with a new TV ad in the 11th District this week, which highlights Republican Marty Ozinga's comments about health care on a public access program in July.  As Progress Illinois first noted, Ozinga said: "There are very few people nowadays that have no health service at all. Almost anybody -- I don't care who you are -- you go to the hospital and you get taken care of."  In the ad, Halvorson responds, "There are 47 million people without insurance.  I mean, how out of touch can you be?" Watch it:

Meanwhile, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has highlighted these comments in their own TV advertising.

Ozinga's controversial health care remarks are also at the heart of the dispute over the 11th District debate scheduled for today. 

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Earlier this week, with little fanfare, Illinois adopted one of the most progressive health care policies in the nation on behalf of the uninsured.  The Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act addresses a little known fact about our medical industry: that those without health insurance are regularly forced to pay medical bills that are two or three times the actual cost of care.  Under the new law, these markups will be capped at 35 percent.  The bill also limits the amount an uninsured patient can be required to pay a hospital in a single year at 25 percent of their gross annual income.

Both chambers of the legislature passed the bill last spring. It stalled, however, after Gov. Rod Blagojevich decided -- via an amendatory veto -- to raise the income eligibility limit to benefit higher-income households. He also sought to give the state's public health department authority to enforce it, rather than the attorney general.

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In late August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a new Bush-favored regulation to “help protect health care providers from [religious] discrimination." In essence, as many as 584,000 employers -- from major hospitals to doctors' offices and nursing homes -- could lose government funding if they don't certify in writing that they are complying with several federal laws that protect health care workers' "freedom of conscience." The AP has more:

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said that health care professionals should not face retaliation from employers or from medical societies because they object to abortion.

"Freedom of conscience is not to be surrendered upon issuance of a medical degree," said Leavitt. "This nation was built on a foundation of free speech. The first principle of free speech is protected conscience."

Why would such a provision need to be passed, when providers are already covered under federal amendments and there is no evidence any are being forced to provide abortions under duress? Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says it's all about politics:

“This proposal would put politics above access to critical health-care services,” said Madigan, who urged state legislators to comment against the regulation as well. “At a time when so many Americans are struggling to find affordable health care and millions of women need access to family planning services, this proposal would severely limit women’s ability to obtain needed reproductive health care.”

Gov. Rod Blagojevich also offered his objections in a September 9 letter to HHS Secretary Michael Levitt:

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By not calling his chamber back to Springfield until November, retiring Senate president Emil Jones has caught flak over the perception that he is trying to kill the ethics bill. But perhaps more critical, Jones' decision is also delaying a fund sweep that would restore crucial spending to drug treatment agencies facing devastating cuts. The Galesburg Register-Mall provides the gory, updated details:

As part of a massive $463 million statewide budget cut made in July by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, funds for Illinois drug and alcohol treatment were slashed by $55 million. Federal matching money of an additional $55 million will also be lost, making the cut $110 million or 43 percent of the total state addiction treatment budget. The cuts are expected to eliminate services for more than 40 percent of the approximate 98,000 people — nearly 40,000 — who get treatment each year and come at a time when many advocates are seeing an increase in clients.

Andrew Young, administrator of Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, says his organization could see 73 percent of its budget slashed, which puts his clients and the broader community at risk:

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