THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Pritzker ending health care for some illegal immigrants...Legislature takes up health insurance reform...State revenue growth "firm and steady"
March 14, 2024
Good morning, Illinois.
We’ll be doing a primary election preview live show tomorrow at 11am on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. We’ll be joined by Dan Petrella from the Chicago Tribune, Russell Lissau of the Daily Herald, and Brenden Moore of Lee Enterprises to talk about a lot of the big races happening around the state. I hope you can join us!
We’re also planning some fun stuff for Tuesday. Stay tuned.
We’ll also have a rumors, rumblings, and ruminations e-mail for subscribers a little later this morning. I have my hands on a TV ad for a downstate legislative race supporters believe may wrap up the race.
Wanna see it? Become a paid subscriber!
The Senate is in at 11. The House is in at noon. There’s nothing on Governor Pritzker’s public schedule today.
Let’s get to it.
YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
(note: we’re not responsible for paywalls and restrictions from other news outlets, because good journalism isn’t free)
Thousands of immigrants in Illinois to lose health care coverage (WBEZ)
Changes to a pair of Illinois programs that offer health care coverage to undocumented — and some documented — residents will mean thousands of people stand to lose their health insurance.
The state announced late last week that eligibility requirements for the Healthcare Benefits for Immigrant Adults and Seniors programs will be changing. Residents who have been documented for fewer than five years will no longer be eligible for coverage.
The state’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) says annual redeterminations will begin starting April 1.
“The redetermination process ensures that those who are enrolled remain eligible for coverage,” HFS spokesperson Jamie Munks said in an email. “If an individual loses coverage through the redetermination process, it is because they no longer meet eligibility requirements, or they are required to respond or submit additional information to prove their continued eligibility, but they do not do so.”
Healthcare Benefits for Immigrant Seniors launched in 2020, providing coverage for seniors 65 and older who would qualify for subsidized health care coverage based on their income if it weren’t for their immigration status. Offerings expanded in 2022 with Healthcare Benefits for Immigrant Adults, serving younger people with the same services aged 42 to 64.
Just a reminder, this program does not impact the asylum-seeking migrants who have been bussed to the state the last few months. They are covered by a federal plan. This program specifically touches illegal/undocumented immigrants.
Related: Change to immigrant health care programs in Illinois will cause up to 6,000 to lose benefits (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration says insurance bill is an effort to balance needs of companies, consumers (Chicago Tribune)
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration pitched the details of his sweeping health insurance reform plan to a state House committee Wednesday as he countered claims that it could increase costs for consumers.
Legislation for implementing the governor’s plan, which is intended to protect consumers from insurance practices that critics say delay or restrict access to necessary care, already has the support of many Democrats and at least one Republican. A committee vote could come as soon as next week, Elgin Democratic Rep. Anna Moeller, chair of the Human Services committee and the bill’s top House sponsor, said during Wednesday’s initial hearing.
Pritzker and his legislative allies are aiming to overhaul a broad range of insurance companies’ practices. Among other things, the bill would ban so-called step therapy, in which insurers require patients to try a different, often cheaper, alternative before treatment recommended by doctors. It also would ban prior authorization, when patients sometimes have to get permission from insurance companies before receiving treatment, for in-patient mental health care.
“I know the insurance companies will fight us on this. But I’m not willing to play political games with the health of Illinois families,” the governor said Wednesday at a separate appearance in Springfield.
Related: House panel opens hearings on Pritzker’s health insurance reforms (Capitol News Illinois)
With recession fears subsiding, new state economic forecast expects ‘firm but steady growth’ (Capitol News Illinois)
The state’s two main fiscal forecasting agencies agree: Illinois’ finances will see a strong close in the final 3 ½ months of the fiscal year before things tighten a bit next year.
It’s a picture laid out in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal last month, and it got a vote of confidence Tuesday from the legislature’s fiscal forecasting body, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
“So looking into fiscal year 25, what are we seeing? There is some concern going forward that the economy, or not necessarily the economy, but the revenues are slowing down,” COGFA revenue manager Eric Noggle said at the annual revenue briefing to the bipartisan commission of lawmakers.
Still, COGFA staff noted general nationwide fears of a recession have subsided, and the scope of the potential slowdown is reflected in Pritzker’s proposed spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
“During our last annual revenue meeting, we mentioned that many of the economic firms were still forecasting such a chance of a recession,” COGFA executive director Clayton Klenke said. “But we mentioned that the data that we saw coming in month to month gave us greater confidence that the economy would continue to chug along. And that is what we have continued to see.”
Related: Opinion: Rose: State budget choices come with consequences (Champaign News-Gazette)
TOP STORIES SO FAR THIS WEEK ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
In the Field: Business, Farm Groups at Odds in Sprawling 53rd Senate Race
Chicago Lawmakers "More Receptive" to Bears Lakefront Proposal
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
'No evidence of a credible threat' after Illinois Capitol lockdown (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Candidates make final push in Illinois Supreme Court race that raised diversity issues (Chicago Tribune)
Candidate for Illinois Supreme Court decries high court’s inaction against ex-Ald. Ed Burke (WBEZ)
Democratic incumbents face primary competition as party seeks to keep hold on Illinois legislature (Chicago Tribune)
Bernie Sanders endorses Graciela Guzmán in Northwest Side state Senate race (Chicago Sun-Times)
Deering, Erickson compete to replace Caulkins in 88th Illinois House District (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Illinois Supreme Court sides with City Hall on 'Bring Chicago Home' ballots (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Illinois ‘junk’ fee legislation calling for price transparency, from airline or concert tickets to rent (Chicago Sun-Times)
[Lawmakers] to consider light pollution law (Daily Herald) [note: the bill has been assigned to a committee, but is not scheduled for hearing, so “consider” is a bit of a stretch]
Illinois lawmakers consider sports wagering tax hike on eve of March Madness (State Journal-Register)
Bears' $2B private financing pledge doesn't seem to impress Pritzker (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Bears urged to consider Michael Reese hospital site for domed stadium to avoid lakefront legal battle (Chicago Sun-Times)
Parks group fears Bears entertainment district — once envisioned for Arlington Heights — coming to lakefront instead (Daily Herald)
Chicago getting $75 million for DNC security from federal budget deal (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: A Chicago casino that’s a slot shed is worse than no Chicago casino at all (Chicago Tribune)
Editorial: The fickle winds of stadium planning (Daily Herald)
Editorial: Chicago’s lakefront is too important to just hand off for a new Bears stadium (Chicago Sun-Times)
Opinion: Bluff or not, Bears new stadium plan should still have taxpayers on edge (Shaw Media)
Editorial: First-time voters must be left alone to make their choice. Even by their teachers. (Chicago Tribune)
Kustra: Today’s GOP bears little resemblance to the party I knew as an Illinois Republican (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Pritzker grocery-tax cut makes cities 'the bad guys' (Champaign News-Gazette)
Vallas: The CTU’s priorities for new contract further limit competition and accountability (Chicago Tribune)
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