As Rauner continues to shirk his responsibility to Illinois by staying silent on the health care bill that could ravage the state’s Medicaid rolls, he gets hammered by editorials and columns. The bill shifts much of the rule-setting of health insurance to the states, which means that Rauner himself would have a lot of say in how Illinois enacts the reforms… just with less money this time. The bill has been described as “wrong-headed,” stripping Medicaid funds from the state, putting more strain on hospitals and the state’s budget… if that even existed.
And yet “Rauner is AWOL,” as the Chicago Sun Times summed up. Rauner has been slammed as abdicating his responsibility, “disappointing in his reluctance to take a firm stand,” and failing to fight for his state.
American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“True to form, Governor Rauner has refused to stand up for Illinois against a bill that would threaten health care coverage of over a quarter of Illinois residents. Rauner is a failure – plain and simple – and can’t be trusted to stand up under political pressure and fight for what is best for Illinois.”
Chicago Sun Times: Editorial: Senate GOP health care bill hammers Illinois, while Rauner is AWOL
The Senate bill is as mean-spirited as the House bill. Illinois would get hammered even harder. And Gov. Bruce Rauner is still AWOL.
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It is the same old dumping of human beings. The House bill, as scored by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, would throw some 23 million people off the insurance roles. The Senate bill, yet to be scored, likely would do the same.
And it is the same old Bruce Rauner. When we asked the governor’s office Thursday for his reaction to the Senate bill, we were told he has to “take a look at it.” But the Senate bill holds no secrets; it’s the House bill in different wrapping paper.
The governor has been disappointing in his reluctance to take a firm stand. After the House bill was passed, he said he feared it would leave Illinois “in the lurch” but he declined to get specific. So here’s a specific: The Senate GOP’s scheme to shrink Medicaid could blow a $40 billion hole in Illinois’ budget over ten years.
It is hard to imagine that a more hands-on governor of the past, such as Jim Thompson or Jim Edgar, would not be weighing in more forcefully, fighting for their state. Other governors are doing just that.
Chicago Sun Times: Lynn Sweet: Does Rauner have any guiding principles on health care insurance?
The Senate Republicans released their health care insurance draft bill on Thursday — the House version to overhaul Obamacare passed in May — and once again, GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner isn’t doing much to make sure the final measure is good for Illinois.
A core element to GOP proposals is to shift to states the authority to reshape health insurance rules: for those who get it through employers; via Medicaid, the state/public plan for the low-income medically needy; or through the exchanges established under former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Governors become far more important in the GOP vision of how health insurance should be delivered in this nation.
In Illinois, the politically explosive issue of governor and Illinois General Assembly — not Washington, if the GOP state-centric Obamacare overhaul plans become law.rising premiums will become the fault of the
Rauner is abdicating his responsibilities to the people of the State of Illinois by his silence — and he can’t blame this one on Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who doubles as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Published: Jun 23, 2017