|
 "The number of people without health insurance in our country is
growing at an alarming rate. The employer-based system we've relied
on for decades is eroding away because of skyrocketing health care
costs. In fact, about 20 percent of working people nowadays are
uninsured. And those who do have it are afraid of losing it,"
Blagojevich said.
"We have to reverse the trend -- and that means reforming our
health care system so we can bring down costs for businesses and
families, and it means expanding access so everyone has options for
obtaining affordable coverage. That's exactly what the Illinois
Covered plan will do. I appreciate the labor movement's commitment
to helping us pass Illinois Covered and setting the stage at the
national level for far-reaching health care reform," the governor
added.
National leadership for the AFL-CIO, SEIU, UFCW, Bricklayers,
Laborers and Teamsters, among others, met with Blagojevich on
Thursday to discuss his plan. After meeting with the governor, the
national labor leaders, along with Gephardt, announced their support
for Illinois Covered and committed to working with the governor to
pass the plan into law in 2008.
"Working families of Illinois deserve relief from the crushing
burden of rising health insurance costs," says national AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney. "Passage of real health care reform like
Illinois Covered in a heartland state like Illinois will advance our
struggle to enact national reform that will guarantee health care
coverage for all Americans."
"The winds of change are blowing all across America," said Andy
Stern, president of SEIU, the largest health care union in the
country. "Dozens of states like Illinois are refusing to wait for
Washington to fix health care and are taking up the challenge
themselves. This is the kind of leadership we're going to need to
find real solutions to the health care crisis."
Former congressman Gephardt said: "Passage of a strong health
care reform plan like Illinois Covered in a heartland state like
Illinois will have benefits that resonate far beyond the state. I
know firsthand the strength of pressures against real health care
reform that operate on Capitol Hill, regardless of which political
party holds the majority. Enactment of a well-designed plan like
Illinois Covered will provide a working state template for members
of Congress to examine. It will set a bottom line for the kind of
national health care reform Congress ultimately enacts."
"Enactment of the legislation proposed in Illinois will give real
momentum to the national health care reform effort," said Doug
Dority, president of America's Agenda: Health Care for All. "It's
the best hope in the country for passing real reform legislation in
2008, and it is the best boost we could give to passing the national
reform Americans want under the next administration in Washington."
[to top of second column]
 |
 Skyrocketing health care costs have become a top concern for
businesses and families across Illinois and the country. Every year,
the number of uninsured Americans grows -- there are now 1.4 million
uninsured adults in Illinois. The 9.7 million adults in Illinois who
are insured are seeing their health care costs increase faster than
their paychecks. Without needed reform, by 2011 Illinois employers
will spend $78.9 billion on health care, up from an anticipated $26
billion in 2008; and households will spend almost $32 billion on
health care, up from $25.2 billion in 2008.
The governor's Illinois Covered plan would provide affordable
coverage to the 1.4 million uninsured adults in Illinois and would
also help many middle-income families and small businesses that are
currently enrolled in health insurance plans save thousands of
dollars a year on their premiums.
In addition, the governor's Illinois Covered plan would lower
overall health care costs by improving management of chronic
diseases, promoting wellness and improving efficiency across the
entire health care system. Renowned health care economist Dr. Ken
Thorpe released a study during the spring of 2007 detailing how
Illinois Covered would result in Illinois families and businesses
saving $15 billion in four years through reduced insurance premium
growth.
"If enacted, Illinois' Illinois Covered health care reform
legislation will be the most promising health care reform
legislation enacted anywhere in America in the last 40 years," said
Thorpe. "The proposed Illinois legislation will introduce major
improvements in the quality of health care, while creating
efficiencies in the delivery of care that will drive down the growth
in health care costs by nearly 10 percent per year."
Over the course of his 4 1/2 years in office, Blagojevich has
made health care his priority and taken innovative steps to provide
Illinoisans relief from high insurance rates.
In 2005 the governor implemented All Kids, a program that allows
Illinois' uninsured children to receive health care that covers the
essentials such as doctors' visits, hospital stays, vision and
dental care, prescription drugs, and other medical services. Those
services are available at significantly lower rates than those on
the private market.
When the General Assembly failed to approve the Illinois Covered
plan during the 2007 legislative session, the governor used his
executive authority to begin expanding existing health care programs
to serve an additional 500,000 uninsured in Illinois. In October,
Illinois became the first state to offer all uninsured women,
regardless of income, access to free breast and cervical cancer
screenings under the newly expanded Illinois Breast and Cervical
Cancer Program.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
 |
