Interesting article. You have to understand that Cook County contains 1/3 of the people in the State of Illinois. Another 1/3 are in the surrounding counties, whose poor often seek services at the Cook County Health systems.
I did not read this article, and I am actually not aware of it. On googling it, I came across this, from the Cook County Government website (NOTE THAT THE UNDERLINING IS MY EMPHASIS):
"Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 5007. This initiative will allow the federal government
to consider the Cook County Medicaid Waiver that, if approved, will permit
current patients of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System who will be eligible for Medicaid coverage in 2014 to enroll early in a Cook County Medicaid Network with absolutely no cost to the state of Illinois.
These are patients that our health system treats today. By allowing them to enroll in a county Medicaid network prior to 2014, our health system will be able to access federal reimbursement for the costs of their care while transforming our health system into one that provides appropriate, coordinated and preventive care for their medical needs."
Currently the County health system has a budget of almost a BILLION dollars. By moving these patients to quasi Medicaid, some of this would be offset to the federal government. This is a cost shifting measure. THESE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY COVERED BY "GOVERNMENT" healthcare (albeit the county, not the federal government.) Also note it will only take place IFF the federal government accepts the plan.
Technically, it is NOT Obamacare, since these provisions would not take effect until 2014. Obamacare does increase eligibility for people 133% BELOW the poverty level in 2014.
Obamacare also includes provisions that:
1)Insurances cannot use prior existing conditions in making rates. Also it eliminated a cap of lifetime payments.
2)Children under 26 can stay on their parents health insurance (not sure if they are required to be in school
3)Capped raising premiums on insurance companies for increasing profits.
4)Created insurance exchanges to theoretically lower rates (yeah, right...)
In short it increases the number of patients covered by insurance. Although they tout it will save money, I seriously doubt how covering more people without restricting prices will save money.
Some want to put the Medicare cuts into Obamacare, but those predated these provisions.
I have issues with Obamacare, but have no issues with increasing availability of health care, which are the main provisions of the plan.
(This message was NOT approved by Obamacare nor paid by any Federal funds
)
