The federal government can't force states like Illinois to expand their Medicaid programs. Lawmakers should refuse to implement the massive expansion of Medicaid in 2014 and halt plans to implement the expansion early in the Chicago area.
CHICAGO (June 26, 2012) – With the click of a mouse, residents in Kane County can find out when is the next county board meeting or what tax rates they pay. But in many counties across northern Illinois, this type of information is not readily available to the public. In the Illinois Policy Institute’s latest...
There are close to 400,000 government employees in Illinois, and millions more across the country, who are forced to pay union dues or agency fees in order to keep their jobs. But now a majority of the United States Supreme Court has signaled that they are ready to rethink the entire thing. The millions of...
Early this morning, Gov. Quinn signed Senate Bill 1313. That bill turns over authority of setting health insurance premiums for retired state and university workers to the Governor’s office. It’s still unclear what Quinn plans to do with that power or how much he intends to save. But one thing is certain: Gov. Quinn needs to be bold....
The problem State government owes billions of dollars for the pensions and health insurance benefits of retired government workers. Local governments owe billions more. Illinois taxpayers are on the hook for the liabilities of both state and local government. State government alone owes $83 billion to its pension funds. However, this figure alone presents an...
$203 billion and counting: Total debt for state and local retirement benefits in Illinois by Illinois Policy Institute
We’ve previously reported on SB 2194, which imposes new taxes on tobacco products and hospitals. Of course, cigarette taxes can’t fix the structural problems of Medicaid. Last week, the bill passed the House 60-52, with eighteen Republicans voting for the tax hike. Moments ago, the Illinois Senate concurred with the House 31-27, sending the bill to the Governor’s...
Earlier this afternoon, Gov. Quinn signed the “Medicaid reform” package. As you may recall, Quinn called on lawmakers to reduce Medicaid spending by $2.7 billion in his February budget address. The Institute offered a 59 point plan to help lawmakers hit that target. Our plan would have reduced Medicaid spending by $2.7 billion without cutting reimbursement rates...
Read an opinion piece by the Institute's Lawrence McQuillan
Read John Kass's column about Illinois's own budget problems, featuring the Institute's John Tillman.
The more one looks at Gov. Scott Walker
The Institute's John Tillman was referenced in this opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal
As Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker emerges victorious from a union-backed recall campaign, it is time to step back and look at the larger picture.
For decades, the state has subsidized the pension costs of teachers working for local school districts. The practice requires the state to pay the employer share of teacher benefits that accrue each year, even though teachers are not state employees. That set-up has destroyed spending accountability across the state. Local school districts have been doling...