Despite the rosy numbers reported in last week's November jobs report, which showed U.S. employers added 321,000 positions last month and average hourly wages went up slightly, experts say the economic recovery still has a long way to go. Progress Illinois provides reaction from economists and labor experts on last month's job and employment figures.
Looking to make inroads with the rising number of Hispanic voters, conservative activists are offering English classes, health checkups and courses to help Spanish-speakers earn high school diplomas. Picking up part of the tab: Charles and David Koch.
The roll out of the Affordable Care Act met another snag Sunday after Terremark, the company that hosts the federal government's data hub and HealthCare.gov site, experienced a network failure. Progress Illinois takes a look at the recent debacle and the controversy that has surrounded the health reform law's glitch-filled start.
In
an effort to encourage more young people to obtain health insurance as
part of the Affordable Care Act, the Illinois PIRG Education Fund kicked
off a statewide campaign Thursday meant to inform students about the law as well as provide tips on finding the right coverage.
The Illinois PIRG Education Fund, which conducts research and public education on behalf of consumers, also unveiled a new "Illinois Health Insurance 101" guide to help young people navigate the state's online health insurance marketplace, called Get Covered Illinois, which opened Tuesday along with other exchanges nationwide. The statewide insurance marketplaces are a key component of President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law.
"Many
are saying that young people don't care. That we don't want access to
health insurance. That we don't understand it," said Kathy Waligora with
the community health non-profit Ever Thrive Illinois, which helped
launch the educational campaign at an event at the University of
Illinois at Chicago (UIC). "The truth is we get it...[We] do want health insurance. We actually do understand the importance of being insured."
Tuesday was a big day for Illinoisans, and Americans across the country, without health coverage who were able to start comparison shopping on the new statewide health insurance exchanges, one of the key aspects of the Affordable Care Act.
Voter enthusiasm among young people has appeared to have gone up
since summer, according to the findings of a recent analysis that showed
Pres. Barack Obama with a significant advantage over Republican
challenger Mitt Romney among voters under the age of 30.
In a survey of
more than 1,000 individuals between ages 18 and 29, 54 percent said in
mid-October they were “extremely likely” to vote, up from 44 percent
when the same group was asked in July, according to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which conducted the study.
The
number of young people that said they were either “extremely likely” or
“very likely” to vote also increased, from 60 percent in July to 67
percent last month.
In
an effort to encourage more young people to obtain health insurance as
part of the Affordable Care Act, the Illinois PIRG Education Fund kicked
off a 
Voter enthusiasm among young people has appeared to have gone up
since summer, according to the findings of a recent analysis that showed
Pres. Barack Obama with a significant advantage over Republican
challenger Mitt Romney among voters under the age of 30.