Action Alert: Support Illinois HB 5113

The Illinois Single-Payer Coalition (ISPC) strongly opposes a proposal by the State of Illinois to enroll Medicaid recipients in managed care programs.

On February 8, 2009, the IL Department of Healthcare and Family Services issued a Request for Proposals seeking managed care organizations to deliver services to elderly and disabled people on Medicaid in a six-county area.

ISPC urges that this proposal be withdrawn. ISPC endorses HB 5113, which would stop this proposal.

ISPC works for single-payer Expanded and Improved Medicare for All at the state (and ultimately the national) level; that is, for a health care system that is universal, not-for-profit, publicly accountable, and equitably financed; that offers comprehensive benefits, high quality, and free choice of doctors, hospitals, and other providers; and that controls costs (in part through greatly diminished bureaucracy) so that it is sustainable. ISPC works for one nation, one health plan; for everybody in, nobody out.

ISPC opposes attempts to balance the state budget on the backs of the most vulnerable among us; and notes that in fact for-profit health care organizations have been shown to increase rather than decrease costs and yet to deliver care of lower quality.

ISPC opposes using public money that is designated for the provision of services to the vulnerable to instead enrich the for-profit health insurance industry.

ISPC opposes increasing rather than decreasing health care bureaucracy.

ISPC opposes allowing managed care companies to place restrictions on patients' access to providers of their choice.

ISPC opposes allowing companies whose fiduciary duty is to their
shareholders to be placed in the position of approving or disapproving expenditures for expensive durable medical equipment that allows people with physical disabilities to live in the community; as well as expenditures for sub-specialty care and other necessary services.

We urge single-payer activists and supporters to contact your state representative and urge her or him to work for passage of HB 5113. We urge you to contact your state senator and Governor Quinn to express your support of HB 5113.

Find out who your state representatives are here. Additional contact information for Illinois General Assembly members here, Illinois Senate here.

We urge you to discuss this legislation with your friends, neighbors, and colleagues and urge them to take action as well.

Illinois Single-Payer Coalition