Within hours of being sworn in as governor, Rauner offered a stark contrast by issuing a freeze on all non-essential spending, immediately followed by ethics and transparency executive orders aimed at deconstructing the disappointing status quo of Springfield politics.
Illinois’ Medicaid reimbursement rates are dropping back to about 54 percent of what the federal Medicare program pays for similar visits and procedures.
There should be little doubt that these access problems will be exacerbated as the state has essentially handed out 500,000 Medicaid cards without providing any additional capacity for patient care.
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...