Cook County

ObamaCare: A ‘catastrophic’ plan by any other name is still bronze

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
01/08/2014
According to a recent Crain’s Chicago Business analysis, the cost of some “catastrophic” health insurance plans offered under the ObamaCare health insurance exchange in Illinois actually cost more than the supposedly more generous plans in 13 counties across the state. That should not be surprising as the improperly named “catastrophic plan” offered on the exchange...

ObamaCare: Quinn touts 100K enrollees; all in Medicaid

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
10/17/2013
Gov. Pat Quinn has been touting 100,000 new Cook County enrollees as evidence of ObamaCare’s success. The reality is that this claim reflects both desperate and creative government accounting. The governor was referring to 100,000 people who enrolled in the state’s Medicaid expansion program earlier this year under an early pilot project in Cook County....

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act, Cook County, Get Covered Illinois, Medicaid, Pat Quinn

Corruption-fighting inspector general sharing program comes to Cook County

By Brian Costin
09/25/2013
An inspector general investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, misconduct and related violations of the law involving individuals employed by or doing business with a government agency. With Illinois’ long history of corruption, inspector generals are one of the most important public servants who help make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately. Unfortunately,...

Illinois’ ObamaCare exchange and Gov. Quinn’s failed math

By Naomi Lopez Bauman
09/24/2013
A Sept. 24 press release from Gov. Pat Quinn’s office announced with excitement that Illinois’ health insurance premiums under the state’s ObamaCare health insurance exchange would be lower than previous government estimates. This statement implies that Illinoisans won’t see their insurance premiums go up despite the massive health insurance expansion about to unfold under ObamaCare. But what...

The hidden bill: Chicago taxpayers and the looming crisis

By Benjamin VanMetre
09/17/2013
The city of Chicago has long been regarded as an economic engine of the Midwest. It is home to some of the country’s largest industries and more than 30 of the nation’s Fortune 500 companies. Chicago is accessible by road, rail and water, and is located in a state that boasts an abundance of natural...

Moody’s credit downgrades: Illinois, Chicago area, take beating

08/19/2013
The recent string of credit downgrades by Moody’s Investors Service should leave little doubt what the rating agency thinks of Illinois’ worsening fiscal crisis. For the past few years the state’s five state-run pension funds have garnered most of the negative attention in Illinois. Moody’s has already designated Illinois’ debt as the riskiest of any...

TAGS: Chicago, downgrade

Cook County’s debt downgraded: pension liabilities double under Moody’s new methodology

By Ted Dabrowski
08/17/2013
Chicago’s fiscal crisis just got worse. Last month, the city received a rare triple-notch downgrade from Moody’s Investors Service, to A3 from Aa3.  Now, Chicago’s parent government, Cook County, has received a downgrade of its own. Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Cook County’s general obligation bond rating to A1 from Aa3 due to the county’s “growing...

TAGS: Chicago, Cook County, downgrade

CPS four notches above junk bond status

By Ted Dabrowski
07/26/2013
In what’s become a torrent of bad news regarding Illinois’ fiscal health, Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded Chicago Public Schools’ $6.3 billion general obligation debt one notch. The credit rating agency’s outlook remains negative, and CPS debt is now just four levels above junk bond status. The CPS ranking drop to A3 from A2 follows recent downgrades...
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FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016