Health Insurance Illinois

DECATUR - Tammy Duckworth knew she could quote statistics all day, but sharing an account about meeting a woman who is without health insurance and can't afford prostheses for her amputated arms and legs told the true story."We need to make sure all Illinoisans have access to affordable coverage," said Duckworth, director of that Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, who also is an amputee. "What kind of country have we become when good families are now without health care insurance?"Duckworth addressed a small crowd on Thursday morning at the Illinois Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 974 building to advocate for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's "Investing in Families Initiative," which is the proposed budget for fiscal year 2008.The initiative includes the "Illinois Covered" plan to provide insurance to all Illinoisans, the "Helping Kids Learn" plan to invest an additional $10 billion in Illinois schools over the next four years and requiring big businesses to pay a "gross receipts tax," as well as a plan to address the state's longtime pension deficit for thousands of retired state workers."This is a historic budget proposal; it's time to invest in the schools - improve the environment and make it better for students, better for teachers and administrators," said Bob Arya, senior adviser to the governor."We need to reform our tax system; it's broken, doesn't work and is not fair.

Health-care plan needed

As a self-employed small-business owner, I wasnt shocked to learn that health insurance premiums for employers increased nearly 87 percent between 2000 and 2006.

In fact, my own health insurance premiums have gone up 35 percent in the last year.

Because of my health, it is impossible for me to get on my wifes insurance plan. The governors proposed plan, Illinois Covered, will bring my premiums down so that we can finally use our income on something other than our health care.

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I am writing this letter in support of Governor Blagojevich’s ...

I am writing this letter in support of Governor Blagojevich's health care plan, Illinois Covered. As a professional in the field of accounting and finance at a somewhat small company, I am very much aware of the rising costs of providing good health care coverage to employees. My concern is that these costs will rise to the point at which my company will no longer be able to provide this benefit to its employees. At that point I would need to seek out good affordable health care. Being a single household, I do not have the opportunity of being added to a spouse's coverage nor the additional disposable income to spend on other expensive healthcare options. I would join a group of over one million adults in Illinois without health insurance. I could not imagine my life without healthcare insurance.

State to borrow out of veterans health insurance fund to pay death ...

CHICAGO - The state will borrow $1 million from a veterans health insurance program to compensate 22 families of fallen soldiers and Marines that have been waiting for death benefits, officials said Sunday.Under the 2004 Line of Duty Compensation Act, families of Illinois troops killed while on active duty are entitled to about $277,000 from the state, the same benefit granted to those of police officers and firefighters who die on the job.Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have been higher than expected, overwhelming the fund, state officials have said. So far, Illinois has paid more than $27 million in death benefits to 102 troops' families.Four families that have been waiting the longest will get the full benefit, Quinn and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs director Tammy Duckworth said at a news conference Sunday.Each remaining family will get $50,000, borrowed from the Veterans Care health insurance program, Duckworth said."We are taking immediate action to help these 22 families and as this war continues, we will be taking steps to address the needs of the growing number of families of our fallen heroes," Duckworth said.