Health Care

House committee passes ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion

House committee passes ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion

Earlier today, the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee heard House Bill 6253. This bill would impose ObamaCare's massive expansion of Medicaid eligibility in Illinois.

Quinn’s refusal to implement retiree health insurance legislation costs taxpayers big

Quinn’s refusal to implement retiree health insurance legislation costs taxpayers big

On top of the state’s massive pension debt, Illinois taxpayers are saddled with another $54 billion in debt for retiree health benefits. For years, retired state and university workers have paid little or nothing toward the cost of their health insurance premiums. With the annual cost for these benefits rapidly approaching $1 billion and crowding out other...

By Jonathan Ingram

States can block the federal government’s enforcement of critical portions of ObamaCare

States can block the federal government’s enforcement of critical portions of ObamaCare

Diane Cohen General Counsel Liberty Justice Center In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in NFIB v. Sebelius last June, and with the prospects for repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act dashed by the 2012 elections, key states – including Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia...

By Chris Andriesen

Medicaid expansion would trap Illinoisans in inferior care

Medicaid expansion would trap Illinoisans in inferior care

Illinois lawmakers have a choice before them. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, permits states to expand their Medicaid programs to those up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Under the law, however, Illinois is not required to do so. Hundreds of thousands of the people targeted by the Medicaid...

By Jonathan Ingram

Illinois cannot afford a state-funded health insurance exchange

Illinois cannot afford a state-funded health insurance exchange

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, permits but does not require states to establish new bureaucracies, known as health insurance exchanges, to regulate the purchase of government-approved health insurance from government-approved insurance companies. But whether the state decides to create its own exchange, defer to the federal government or create a state-federal...

By Jonathan Ingram

Despite Obama re-election, many states will still opt out of ObamaCare

Despite Obama re-election, many states will still opt out of ObamaCare

With a second term now secure for President Barack Obama, states will need to decide whether they should opt-in to ObamaCare’s massive expansion of Medicaid. A Supreme Court decision earlier this year gave states the choice of whether to opt-in or not. So far, just nine states have committed to implementing the expansion. Leaders from most states,...

By Jonathan Ingram