Affordable Care Act

Medicaid 59: A detailed list of reforms

By Jonathan Ingram
05/21/2012
In February, Gov. Quinn told lawmakers that the rendezvous with reality had arrived. He informed them that they must “reduce expenditures” in the Medicaid program by $2.7 billion this year. Soon thereafter, lawmakers in the House committed to reducing “the accrual of Medicaid obligations” by $2.7 billion. The following proposal meets this goal without steep...

Where is the leadership​?

05/18/2012
Every now and then you find out whether leaders and legislators are truly for reform or whether they simply use the concept to advance electoral imperatives. The upcoming votes on Medicaid, pensions and the state budget will be illuminating. Things are moving quickly in Springfield, and the most urgent issue on deck is Medicaid. Leadership...

Day 3: ObamaCare at the Supreme Court

03/28/2012
Today was the final marathon session of oral arguments over ObamaCare. It began this morning with the question of what to do with the rest of the law if the individual mandate is struck down, a very real possibility after yesterday's hearing.

Day 2: ObamaCare at the Supreme Court

By Jonathan Ingram
03/27/2012
If the government can force you to buy health insurance, what can’t they force you to do or buy? That was the question posed by a number of Supreme Court justices throughout today’s oral argument on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. And that was the question President Obama’s lawyers couldn’t seem to answer. That question didn’t...

Day 1: ObamaCare at the Supreme Court

By Jonathan Ingram
03/26/2012
Today was a big day. This morning, the Supreme Court began oral arguments over the constitutionality of ObamaCare. You can preview those arguments and see how the law will affect Illinois by clicking here. While the most important questions will be heard tomorrow and Wednesday, today’s argument was notable because the Justices seemed in general agreement...

Supreme Court should strike ObamaCare mandate

03/22/2012
On Tuesday, March 27, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the most controversial part of ObamaCare: the “individual mandate,” which requires that everyone not otherwise covered purchase government-approved health insurance. The government claims that the individual mandate is constitutional because it falls under Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce. In an amicus brief filed by the...

Illinois’ future under ObamaCare

By Jonathan Ingram
03/22/2012
On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin 3 days of oral arguments on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. The case pits the Obama administration against 26 states, and could be one of the biggest federalism showdowns the Court has seen in years. The case centers primarily around two key components of the law: the individual mandate and the...

Preview: ObamaCare at the Supreme Court

By Jonathan Ingram
03/22/2012
Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the ObamaCare litigation. The case, Florida v. United States Department of Health and Human Services, pits the Obama administration against a bipartisan group of twenty-six states and the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Two other states, Oklahoma and Virginia, are part of separate lawsuits also aimed at undoing...