Good morning, Healthcare Council. The primary election is over and Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for what promises to be the most expensive gubernatorial election in U.S. history ($120 million contributed by the two nominees thus far). The General Assembly is off for another two weeks before we enter the April and May home stretch for the conclusion of regular session. Will we get a budget on time this year? The Healthcare Council's Magic 8 Ball says "Murky." And in non-legislative or political news, the Loyola Ramblers advance to the Elite 8 after besting Nevada by a razor-thin score of 69-68 last night. On to the update!
JB Pritzker cruised to a resounding victory with 45% of the vote on Tuesday and will be the Democratic Party's nominee for governor this fall. Governor Bruce Rauner squeaked by conservative challenger State Rep. Jeanne Ives by 2.8 percent (51.4 percent to 48.6 percent) in what was a much closer race than expected even a few months ago. Both sides have already begun posturing for what promises to a very rough and tumble race. On the Attorney General, Democratic State Sen. Kwame Raoul will face off against Republican Erika Harold.
In the General Assembly, a few notable incumbents were defeated by primary challengers. State Rep. David Reis (Republican Spokesman on the House Insurance: Health & Life Committee) lost his primary 43.2 percent to 56.8 percent to challenger Darren Bailey. On the Democratic side, State Rep. Dan Burke lost to Aaron Ortiz 46.5 percent to 53.5 percent, and State Sen. Ira Silverstein lost to Ram Villivalam 30 percent to 51.3 percent.
Lots of open seats now have their respective candidates, and the Chamber will continue its long-standing support of pro-business candidates through November.
Committees Posted for April
We'll do a complete rundown of posted healthcare-related bills prior to session resuming, but in the meantime you can peruse posted House and Senate committees. After several slow months of legislative activity, expect more of a frenetic pace as we approach the committee deadline on April 13 and third reading deadline on April 27.
Senator Toi Hutchison's NCSL Event
Chamber member Presence Health and Amita Health are hosting an event in support of incoming National Conference of State Legislatures President Toi Hutchison.
Senator Toi Hutchison will become President of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) this August. Since 1975, NCSL has been giving legislative leaders and staff the tools, information and resources they need to be successful.
As President, Senator Hutchison will be at the forefront of critical policy discussions on a wide variety of issues and legislative training that increases the effectiveness of individual leaders and staff.
Please join AMITA Health, Presence Health and our community partners in supporting the NCSL's President's Fund and celebrating Senator Hutchison's leadership:
April 4, 2018
University Club, Charter Room
5:00 - 7:00 PM
To RSVP and for suggested donations to NCSL, please contact Angie Grover at [email protected] or 312-208-3223.
JCAR Update
There are two new healthcare-related proposed rulemakings since our last update. The Office of the State Fire Marshal proposed an amendment to the Ambulance Revolving Loan Program (41 IAC 292; 42 Ill Reg 4698) implementing PA 100-152, which raises the maximum loan amount from $100,000 to $200,000.
IDPH proposed an amendment to AIDS Drug Assistance Program (77 IAC 692; 42 Ill Reg 5167) updating the program's annual gross income eligibility limits to reflect the 2018 Federal Poverty Level guidelines. (The program is open to persons earning no more than 300% of the FPL for their household size.)
Chamber Day 2018
Campaign politics are shaping the policy debate in Springfield and will have lasting implications on the business community. On April 11th, join us in our first ever Chamber Day - an advocacy effort to let lawmakers know we must be heard in any major policy decision impacting Illinois employers. This new event will combine our local chamber summit and the Chamber's traditional lobby day to better show our strength in numbers.
