Illinois

Illinois Senate moves to implement ObamaCare early

By Jonathan Ingram
05/24/2012
by Jonathan Ingram The Illinois Senate just passed HB 5007, which will implement key portions of ObamaCare nearly two years early. We’ve previously debunked the myths surrounding this plan, explaining how it fails taxpayers. From the Senate gallery, I watched as the vote was taken with virtually no debate or discussion. It was clear that the outcome was...

ObamaCare disaster: Why Cook County waiver fails taxpayers

By Jonathan Ingram
05/24/2012
Lawmakers have been tasked with reducing Medicaid spending by $2.7 billion. Last year, lawmakers came together and decided – almost unanimously – that until the state could actually operate the program in a way that served the needs of the most vulnerable, it shouldn’t expand eligibility to overload the system. But earlier this year, Gov....

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...

Rescuing Medicaid: How Illinois can reform Medicaid without rate cuts and tax hikes

By Jonathan Ingram
05/17/2012
In February, Gov. Pat Quinn told lawmakers that to rescue Illinois’ Medicaid program, the state would need to “reduce expenditures in the program by $2.7 billion” for fiscal year 2013. But so far, neither Quinn nor lawmakers have proposed a plan that does so. The Illinois Policy Institute has proposed reforming Medicaid into a premium assistance program,...

Why Sen. Brady is wrong about local pension accountability

By Collin Hitt
05/15/2012
Recently, Sen. Bill Brady suggested that local pension accountability would lead to property tax increases (Pension imbalance, May 13, 2012). Not true. The state already increased everyone’s income taxes to pay for pensions. Cutting state expenses will allow for lower taxes. If the state doesn’t reduce pension costs, then other education spending will face cuts....
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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