Progress Illinois

In a February report called 'Closing the Medicaid Coverage Gap', Voices For Illinois Children announced its support for the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

When the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed the fundamental legality of the Affordable Care Act in June, it left open the option for states to decide on various aspects of participation, including the Medicaid expansion.

“Illinois should take advantage of a unique opportunity to offer health care coverage to hundreds of thousands of low-income residents,” the report reads. “Given that the federal government will provide nearly all of the funding, extending Medicaid eligibility is a very good bargain for Illinois. We can’t afford to pass up this valuable opportunity.”

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As the state’s pension debt grows, 22 Illinois state legislators have decided not to accept state-subsidized retirement benefits.

With $97 billion in unfunded liabilities — more than $20,000 for every household in the state — Illinois’ five pension funds serving teachers, state employees, university employees, judges, and legislators, are in desperate shape. Attributed to inadequate contributions by the government, the pension systems are only 39 percent funded, when 80 percent is considered healthy.

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