State of Illinois Archives: on Health Care
Alan Keyes:
Give people generic drugs information to save their money
If people are apprised of the advantages of generic drug purchases, if you are able to shop around and have the necessary information, reduce your drug costs by even 90 and 95%. But before we have explored that kind of ability to develop an informational
response that empowers people with the knowledge to make better use, and more cost-effective use, of the dollars already being spend. We need an approach that will empower folks with the information they need to take advantage of the existing marketplace
Source: IL Senate Debate, Illinois Radio Network
Oct 12, 2004
Alan Keyes:
People should take care of their own health
We need to take an approach that ignores the reality for some of our pharmaceutical companies. We have to be sure that consumers are getting access, cost-effectively, to the best prices they can find in drugs, but if we undercut what is necessary to
repay the costs-not only to pharmaceutical companies but also to the taxpayers-of the research and development that goes into the development of new drugs, we’ll be destroying that which actually produces an expanding horizon of effectiveness on the part
of our drugs. Second, we need to be doing things like medical savings accounts, empowering the consumer to be an effective policeman of the relationship between price and quality in the health marketplace. Finally, we need also to be encouraging people
in the prime of life to be taking better care of themselves. One of the reasons we have skyrocketing healthcare costs is because we have an expanding sickness arising-partly because we’re not applying the lessons we know about fitness and about diet.
Source: IL Senate Debate, Illinois Radio Network
Oct 12, 2004
Alexi Giannoulias:
Supports quality, affordable health care for all
Alexi supports congressional efforts to guarantee quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
He will also work to ensure preventive care and early detection programs, which include things like mammograms and pap smears, are easily accessible.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, AlexiForIllinois.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Ameya Pawar:
Would go to single-payer
While the Affordable Care Act has increased healthcare coverage for millions of Americans, it simply does not go far enough. Illinois needs a single-payer health care system.
Under Ameya's plan, every Illinoisan would be covered for all medically necessary care, including preventative visits, hospital care, prescriptions, mental health services, nursing home care, rehabilitation, dental, and optical.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website pawar2018.com
Sep 1, 2017
Anne Stava-Murray:
Supports Medicare-for-All, with immediate transition
The freshman Democrat said her support for an immediate transition to a national single-payer healthcare system, or 'Medicare-for-all,' restrictions on 3D-printed firearms, and stronger punishment for polluting companies set her apart from [Incumbent
Democratic U.S. Senator Dick] Durbin on matters of policy. "Medicare-for-All, he really hasn't [supported], she said. "I think he sort of vaguely hinted that it should happen, but [he] hasn't really made an effort to make that really happen.
Source: Mark Maxwell, WCIA News, on 2020 Illinois Senatorial race
Oct 22, 2018
Barack Obama:
Will expand health coverage & allow meds to be re-imported
Obama has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America, allows those near retirement to buy into Medicare, and ensures coverage for those losing jobs through no fault of their own.
He will allow re-importation of drugs from other industrialized nations and fight for a Medicare prescription drug law that allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com
May 2, 2004
Barack Obama:
Believes health care is a right, not a privilege for the few
Obama believes health care is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few. He has made affordable health care a priority - he delivered coverage to an additional 20,000 children and 65,000 parents in Illinois and sponsored a bill to protect the
uninsured from price gouging. He has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America, allows those near retirement to buy into Medicare, and ensures coverage for those losing jobs through no fault of their own.
Source: 2004 Senate campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com
Sep 28, 2004
Barack Obama:
Allowing seniors to bulk purchase will save taxpayers’ money
Q: What do you think is wrong with the new federal prescription benefits for seniors?A: It was fundamentally flawed as a piece of legislation. The central premise of this prescription drug bill that was passed by Bush was that the federal government,
through the Medicare program, and senior citizens could not negotiate for the best possible price with the drug companies, so that they could actually get the kinds of discounts the Canadians enjoy for the drugs that are manufactured here in the US. That
was done because the drug companies didn’t let it happen. What we have is a bill that’s bad for taxpayers and bad for senior citizens. Taxpayers are hit with a half-a-trillion-dollar tab that was originally estimated at three hundred billion. And about
3 weeks later, seniors have a big donut hole in the middle of their benefits. What I would do is I would say that senior citizens, through the Medicare program they can go and negotiate the best possible price as a consequence of being bulk purchasers.
Source: IL Senate Debate, Illinois Radio Network
Oct 12, 2004
Barack Obama:
Crises happen in our lives and healthcare is necessary
The use of generics is important, as the chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee I’ve continually encouraged the use of generic drugs at the state level. Part of the problem and the reason we’re not using generic drugs as much as we should is
because we have a convoluted set of patent laws that allow drug companies to change the shape or color of the tablet, and as a consequence, renew their patents and block generic drugs from coming onto the market. It does make sense for us to encourage
preventative care and improve our health and lifestyles. A father in Galesburg that I met who had just lost his job, just got his pink slip, and whose son had just had a liver transplant, and he’s trying to figure out how does he pay $4,200 a month in
immunosuppressant drugs in order to keep his son alive. A liver transplant is not solvable by better health. Crises happen in our lives. To the extent possible, we should control costs when we can and expand affordability and accessibility of healthcare.
Source: IL Senate Debate, Illinois Radio Network
Oct 12, 2004
Bruce Rauner:
Move more Medicaid recipients to managed care programs
Healthcare: Support or Repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as ObamaCare? Accept ACA's Medicaid expansion to subsidize low-income participants?
Pritzker: Yes. Support ACA; expand Medicaid.
Rauner: Mixed. Did not publicly oppose repeal, although said expressed concerns privately. In 2014 opposed Medicaid expansion; now wants to move more Medicaid recipients to managed care programs.
Healthcare: Require people to work to receive Medicaid?
Pritzker: No. Administration's attempt to add work requirement would impose "additional, unnecessary
barriers to vital healthcare services for those who need access the most."
Rauner: Yes. Supports concept of a work requirement.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Illinois Governor race
Nov 1, 2018
Chris Kennedy:
Treat the mentally ill instead of jailing them
We live in a country where there are 10 million people with schizophrenia and bipolar and major depression, often which cause substantial impairment, and something like 40% of them receive no treatment in a given year. We moved the seriously affected
out of psychiatric hospitals where, in the 50s, we had 330 beds or more per 100,000 people, and today, we only have 11 or 12 beds per 100,000 people in our country to serve these people. Our largest overnight facility for people with mental illness is
now our jail system and our prisons, where a huge percentage of inmates have untreated mental illness. We've arranged for our largest insurer of this population, Medicaid, to reimburse psychiatrists in a way that is
so unrewarding that now many of these medical professionals won't accept Medicaid or care for these patients as a result of this government policy. We as a country are not acting rationally.
Source: 2018 Gubernatorial campaign website, KennedyForIllinois.com
Jan 31, 2017
Chris Kennedy:
Don't punish the hospitals; don't divide them from doctors
The last gubernatorial election was divisive for the healthcare field. The lobbyists who traditionally represented doctors seemed to favor Bruce Rauner, and lobbyists who traditionally represented hospitals seemed to support Pat Quinn. The governor's
office created budget documents that will, in effect, disproportionally punish hospitals, including small safety-net hospitals. I can tell you that, if the small safety net hospitals like Mt. Sinai, fail, their patient load will overwhelm the capacity
to absorb them at the University of Illinois hospital, and this will threaten the very existence of our state hospital and the power of our medical school and perhaps threaten the economic viability of the entire University itself. Northwestern,
Loyola and U of C and many other regional hospitals will face the same fate. We cannot let revenge politics destroy social service networks and some of the greatest healthcare economic engines the state has.
Source: 2018 Gubernatorial campaign website, KennedyForIllinois.com
Jan 31, 2017
Chris Kennedy:
Expand Obamacare; move to single payer
Chris believes Illinois should expand Obamacare at all costs while working to drive down healthcare costs for everyone. In Illinois, the effect of Obamacare was powerful and persuasive. The uninsured rate was cut nearly in half with help from the
Medicaid expansion, which provided healthcare to some 650,000 more people. To guarantee everyone health care, Chris believes the United States should be proactively moving toward a single-payer system.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website KennedyForIllinois.com
Sep 1, 2017
Daniel Biss:
Criticized governor for attempt to repeal ObamaCare
Biss last year ran a political action committee that sought to link Rauner to President Donald Trump. At his campaign announcement this year,
Biss criticized Rauner for refusing to speak out against Trump's attempts to curb immigration, to ban abortion and to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Chicago Tribune on 2018 Illinois gubernatorial race
Mar 20, 2017
Daniel Biss:
Medicare for all
Daniel voted for a bill expanding total Medicaid eligibility, brought billions of new federal dollars in for healthcare, and brought coverage to over 300,000 uninsured Illinois residents. However, there's more work to be done.
Health insurance is still too expensive for many, and too many Illinoisans still do not have access to care. Daniel will fight for Medicare for all in Illinois, so that healthcare is finally treated like the universal right it should be.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website DanielBiss.com
Sep 1, 2017
Darren Bailey:
COVID: led charge against lockdown; would fully reopen
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Darren led the charge against sweeping executive orders that shuttered Illinois businesses, collapsed the economy, and deprived hardworking Illinoisans of their livelihoods.
A complete return to normalcy is a top priority for Darren.As Governor, he will work to fully reopen the economy and our schools, attract new business, and fuel job creation in Illinois.
Source: 2021 Gubernatorial campaign website BaileyForIllinois.com
May 30, 2021
Doug Truax:
AdWatch: ObamaCare does more harm to middle class than good
Political newcomer Doug Truax released a video [saying] he has proof of why the Affordable Care Act just won't work. In it, he talks with three Illinois families about how ObamaCare has affected them."My plan is being terminated and the comparable
plan they're offering me is 45.7 percent more expensive per month. It's gone from $385 to $561,"said John, a single father who was recently laid off.
"They promised me that
I'd be able to keep that plan and that was the promise that was made over and over and over again, and I believed it," said Steve, a small business owner, "Now I'm finding out without a shadow of a doubt that the insurance plan that I was very happy
with, that I thought I was doing the best by my family, to have a good insurance plan and now it's being canceled."
Truax believes these stories prove why the 2,300 page law just does more harm to middle class Illinois than good.
Source: StateLine.com AdWatch on 2014 Illinois Senate debate
Nov 12, 2013
J.B. Pritzker:
Irresponsible to not fully fund Medicaid
The Republicans' elimination of Medicaid funding will force some hospitals to close and others to cut services and lay-off healthcare professionals. This is not only morally unconscionable, it is fiscally irresponsible.
I will fight to preserve full Medicaid funding and work with health experts and leaders across the state to expand health coverage for all Illinoisans.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
J.B. Pritzker:
Add public option to healthcare
I propose a public health insurance option that would allow every Illinois resident the chance to buy low-cost health insurance.
I will work with legislators and the health care community to design this public option to provide another choice in the health insurance marketplace, to lower the cost of premiums and mitigate market uncertainty--at no cost to taxpayers.
Source: 2018 Illinois Gubernatorial website JBPritzker com
Sep 15, 2017
J.B. Pritzker:
Expand health care but can't do it all at once
We increase the income eligibility threshold in the Child Care Assistance Program which will give quality care to approximately 10,000 more children. We will be able to hire an additional 126 direct service staff for DCFS to protect children.
We will provide funding to help investigate cases of kids' exposure to lead. This is less than what I would like to do. But it is what we can afford to do in year one of our recovery.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 20, 2019
J.B. Pritzker:
Made health care more available & more affordable
We made healthcare more available--and more affordable. We capped out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 for a 30-day supply so that no one in Illinois has to decide between buying food and paying for the medicine they need to stay alive.
We expanded insurance coverage for mammograms and reproductive health. And we protected people who need treatment for life-threatening allergic reactions.
Source: 2020 Illinois State of the State address
Jan 29, 2020
J.B. Pritzker:
Remove barriers for new front-line healthcare workers
Our healthcare institutions and healthcare workers need help. That's why this proposed budget creates the Pipeline for the Advancement of the Healthcare Workforce--or PATH--program. The PATH program will invest
$25 million in our community colleges to remove barriers for recruitment and training of new front-line healthcare workers. My budget also proposes to invest new resources in nursing scholarships and loan forgiveness programs.
Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 2, 2022
Jim Oberweis:
Not a fan of ObamaCare, but it helps healthcare businesses
Q: Do you worry about [investing] back home? Do you worry about the environment for small businesses?Oberweis: I think I'm as worried as anyone else on the direction of the country. I think we've got a long way to go. Part of the reason we started
investing in China and investing internationally is that we're--this was six years ago--we were worried about the direction the U.S. was going. That said, you don't have to invest in "America," per se. We can invest in HMS Systems down the street that
audits Medicare and Medicaid plans for insurance billing and fraud. Am I a big fan of nationalized healthcare, even healthcare reform? No. Is it going to help HMS's business? Absolutely. It'll be terrific. So I think you have to be a niche player.
You've got to find smaller ideas that are going to benefit in the conditions as they are. You can change the conditions and always try to find ways to make money in the conditions as they exist.
Source: Forbes Magazine interview on 2014 Illinois Senate race
Jan 5, 2012
Jim Oberweis:
Repeal and replace ObamaCare; not just repeal
Both [Truax and Oberweis] label themselves as conservatives and agree on many issues, including their disdain for the new federal health care law. But Truax, a businessman who works in the health insurance field, believes the health care reform law
should be repealed, while Oberweis said merely repealing it isn't enough."The magic words are repeal and replace," Oberweis said. "Democrats may not like repeal and Republicans may not like replace, but something's got to be done to drive down the
cost of health insurance."
Truax said the Affordable Care Act isn't making health care affordable. Both attacked incumbent U.S. Sen. Dick Durbim, a Springfield Democrat, for supporting the health care law, and both believe that
support will be the longtime legislator's biggest obstacle to being re-elected. "This ObamaCare disaster is a huge weight on Democrats across the country," Oberweis said.
Source: Daily Herald on 2014 Illinois GOP Senate primary debate
Mar 3, 2014
Jim Oberweis:
Parent policy until age 26 good; pre-existing coverage good
Like his primary opponent, Oberweis favors repeal of the Affordable Care Act. He says there are some parts of the law he could support, but says the solution is to "repeal and replace.""It's so fundamentally flawed it probably can't be fixed as is,"
he said. Oberweis said allowing children to remain on their parent's health policy until age 26, provide coverage for pre-existing conditions and more comparison shopping for coverage across state lines should be allowed.
Source: WUIS 91.9 FM on 2014 Illinois GOP Senate primary debate
Mar 3, 2014
Mark Curran:
Study ACA to see what's working before deciding to repeal
Our health care system must protect preexisting conditions. If I am elected to the United States Senate, I would study the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA has approximately 20,000 pages of regulations associated with the Act. I want to know what,
if anything, is working in the ACA before deciding to replace or repeal the Act completely. I am not a proponent of a single payer health care system. Private industry has a better record of running business than the Federal government.
The problem with the cost of prescription drug prices is that they reflect more than the cost to produce the pill. The drug maker needs to recover those costs and make a profit in order to have an incentive to continue to spend
money on research and development. We may want to examine whether our drug companies are charging foreign countries enough.
Source: Chicago Sun Times on 2020 Illinois Senate race
Jan 22, 2020
Mark Curran:
Preventative medicine approach, with free market principles
Q: How would you promote healthcare coverage that is adequate, affordable and accessible for all?A: We are blessed to live in a nation that has the best healthcare system in the world--bar none. When it comes to further improving that system, we have
to be careful not to do things that run counter to free market principles. Having incentives to recruit and reward the very best and brightest heath care professionals is important. I am a believer in a preventative medicine approach that heads off
costly and debilitating problems before they start. There is also incredible waste and fraud throughout the Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance networks that needs to be taken fare more seriously. I also believe that people should be able to
purchase insurance policies across state lines . I take a different tack than some other conservatives do in that I believe that preserving Medicare and Medicaid-for those CITIZENS who truly need it-must be a high priority.
Source: AFA iVoterGuide on 2020 Illinois Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
Mark Kirk:
For 2013 shutdown over ObamaCare, but then for compromise
Q: On Healthcare: Repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare?Duckworth: No
Kirk: Yes
Q: On Healthcare: Did you support shutting down the federal government in order to defund Obamacare in 2013?
Duckworth: No
Kirk:
Voted for several bills that contributed to shutdown, then for compromise that resolved it.
Q: On Healthcare: Should Planned Parenthood be eligible to receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Duckworth: Yes
Kirk: Yes
Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 Illinois Senate race
Oct 9, 2016
Mike Bost:
Guaranteed medical care is not a government responsibility
Bost indicates support of the following principles regarding health issues.- Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
-
Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
-
Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
-
Expand the state's Circuit Breaker program which provides prescription drug coverage to low-income seniors.
Source: 2000 Illinois National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2000
Mike Bost:
Increase insured without ObamaCare's government bureaucracy
Mike Bost believes that individuals, families and small businesses understand their health care needs better than government bureaucrats. We can agree with the provisions of allowing younger Americans to remain on their parent's insurance, banning
insurance companies from denying pre-existing condition and removing lifetime caps. However, it does not mean ObamaCare is the right answer as it fails to address the affordability of quality health care.There are several steps that we can take to
lower costs and increase the number of insured without creating the government bureaucracy as ObamaCare did. Mike supports allowing businesses and associations to pull together their health plans to obtain larger health care premium discounts from major
health insurers; full federal income tax deductibility for co-payments; and encouraging more, not less competition, in the Medicare system by expanding, not shrinking, the popular Medicare Advantage program.
Source: 2014 Illinois House campaign website, BostForCongress.com
Nov 4, 2014
Napoleon Harris:
$50M to expand Medicaid services
SB 741 Expands Medicaid Services: Concurrence Vote Passed Senate (46 - 10); Napoleon Harris voted YeaVote to concur with House amendments and pass a bill that expands Medicaid services. Highlights: - Prohibits adult dental services from being
limited to emergencies
- Specifies that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services will not provide reimbursement for more than 4 prescription drugs in a 30 day period without prior approval, excluding anti-psychotic medications
-
Prohibits podiatry services from solely being available to individuals with diabetes
- Requires the Department to set a maximum limit of 20 visits and obtain prior approval for all individuals requesting speech,
hearing, language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy services
- Increases the Healthcare Provider Relief Fund from $50 million to $100 million for the 2014 fiscal year
Source: VoteSmart synopsis of 2014 Illinois voting records
May 29, 2014
Pat Quinn:
Independent review of denial of care by insurance companies
A consumer bill, a very important one that we enacted, was to deal with the issue of denial of care by insurance companies. Many health insurance consumers have found that when they need help the most the insurance company denies care.
We should have a process where there's an independent review of that and we were able to pass that law. And it will make sure that we have good health in our society.
Source: Illinois 2010 State of the State Address
Jan 13, 2010
Pat Quinn:
Allow women of color & low-income access to mammograms
One of my very first bills that I signed this year had to do with mammograms and breast cancer screening. And it takes sometimes in a democracy the efforts of lots of citizens at the grassroots level to bring to our attention the need for important
reforms. And that happened, and one of the first bills I did sign was a bill that allows women of color, women of low income access to mammograms and breast cancer screening.
Source: Illinois 2010 State of the State Address
Jan 13, 2010
Pat Quinn:
Comprehensive Medicaid reform: save taxpayers $550M
Last month, we passed comprehensive Medicaid reform, which will save us millions of dollars. But it will also improve health outcomes for
Medicaid patients--decreasing ineffective reliance on emergency rooms by providing patients with a medical home, and focusing on preventive care to keep people from getting sick in the first place.
We need to keep investing in essential, necessary services while cutting programs that don't work. This means continued support for cost-effective programs that do work, such as: homecare for those with disabilities, childcare for working families, and
community care for our seniors. We are reducing the Medicaid reimbursement rate for hospitals, nursing homes, saving taxpayers $550 million dollars this year alone.
Source: Illinois 2011 State of the State Budget Address
Feb 16, 2011
Peggy Hubbard:
Return market forces to patient-doctor relationship
Peggy will work hard to put the patient back in the driver's seat for the kind of health care they get. More transparency on the costs of prescriptions, doctor's care, and hospital services will allow patients the ability to control their costs.
Investing in Health Savings Accounts will return market forces to a patient-doctor relationship, keeping costs down, and maintaining quality. Also, a focus on preventative health care will save lives and prevent expensive illnesses from ever happening.
Source: 2022 Illinois Senate website PeggyHubbardForSenate.com
Apr 19, 2022
Peggy Hubbard:
I am not in favor of socialized healthcare
I am not in favor of socialized healthcare and forcing individuals to purchase coverage they don't want or need. Solutions are best found at the state level or in the free market. One-size-fits-all federal government policies inflate costs and
hurt the quality of individual care. We need to continue to work toward more transparency in costs and services while encouraging free-market competition to drive down the costs and increase the quality of health care for all Americans.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times on 2022 Illinois Senate race
Jan 29, 2020
Raja Krishnamoorthi:
Let Medicare negotiate prices for prescription drugs
One of the greatest contributors to the cost of Medicare is the rising price of drugs. Yet, at the behest of the special interests, Congress has prohibited the government from negotiating prices for prescription drugs provided through Medicare part D,
which the VA has done successfully for years. This law benefits drug companies at the expense of senior citizens, and Raja will work to repeal it -- which will reduce both the cost of drugs for our seniors and the cost of Medicare overall.
Source: 2016 Illinois House campaign website RajaForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Richard Durbin:
AdWatch: Targeted by RNC robocalls for support of ObamaCare
Sen. Dick Durbin is among 11 Democrats targeted by the Republican National Committee for their support of ObamaCare. The RNC is using robocalls and posting on Facebook to urge people to call their representatives and ask "why they supported
President Obama's lie that people could keep their healthcare plans under ObamaCare."The targets besides Durbin are Reps. Gary Peters (MI) and Bruce Braley (IA), Sens. Mark Warner (VA), Mark Begich (AK), Kay Hagan (NC), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jeff
Merkley (OR), Mark Pryor (AR), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Mark Udall (CO). The robocall script reads:
"President Obama and the Democrats said you could keep your healthcare plan under ObamaCare. Now we know [SENATOR] actually VOTED to make it more
difficult. Call [SENATOR] at (XXX)-XXX-XXX & ask why [he/she] lied."
The robocalls are a response to Democrats launching the "GOP Shutdown Watch" campaign, highlighting Republican senate candidates who supported the partial federal government shutdown.
Source: MI Daily Tribune PacWatch: 2014 Illinois Senate debate
Nov 5, 2013
Richard Durbin:
Large-scale expansion of taxpayer-subsidized coverage
Durbin & Sauerberg clashed over the nation's health-care crisis, with Durbin accusing Sauerberg, a physician, of proposing an end to government-backed insurance for the poor and elderly in favor of a program using tax credits to purchase private
insurance."I don't know of another doctor who is so bold as to believe that those people who count on these programs are somehow going to be protected in the market by themselves," said
Durbin, who favors a large-scale expansion of taxpayer-subsidized health-care coverage.
But Sauerberg said Durbin misunderstood his proposal, which he said would expand the availability of health-care coverage and make it
portable and less job-dependent. "You can buy it. You can use vouchers. The government already pays for many, many people's insurance," Sauerberg said.
Source: 2008 Illinois Senate Debate reported in the Chicago Tribune
Oct 7, 2008
Richard Durbin:
Defend & expand ObamaCare and Medicaid
My vote for the Affordable Care Act was one of the most important votes of my career. We must do everything within our power to defend and expand on the ACA. We should expand Medicaid in all states, allow people the option to
purchase private or public health insurance plans that ensure access to mental health care, and provide access to adequate dental care. We must also reduce the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices
Source: ScienceDebate.org on 2020 Illinois Senate race
Nov 3, 2020
Sharon Hansen:
Repeal ObamaCare; it's not a government responsibility
Question topic: It is the government's responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income.Hansen: Strongly Disagree.
Question topic: The Affordable Care Act should be repealed by Congress.
Hansen: Strongly Agree. ObamaCare
needs to be completely repealed in its entirety. It is a massive wasteful bureaucracy that has nothing to do with health care and everything to do with government control. Private charity can take over for those needing care they cannot afford.
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Illinois Senate race
Sep 30, 2014
Steven Sauerberg:
Vouchers to make health care portable and less job-dependent
Durbin & Sauerberg clashed over the nation's health-care crisis, with Durbin accusing Sauerberg, a physician, of proposing an end to government-backed insurance for the poor and elderly in favor of a program using tax credits to purchase private
insurance."I don't know of another doctor who is so bold as to believe that those people who count on these programs are somehow going to be protected in the market by themselves," said
Durbin, who favors a large-scale expansion of taxpayer-subsidized health-care coverage.
But Sauerberg said Durbin misunderstood his proposal, which he said would expand the availability of health-care coverage and make it
portable and less job-dependent. "You can buy it. You can use vouchers. The government already pays for many, many people's insurance," Sauerberg said.
Source: 2008 Illinois Senate Debate reported in the Chicago Tribune
Oct 7, 2008
J.B. Pritzker:
Fund early intervention services for infants and toddlers
Smart Start Early Intervention funding will support the essential state program that gives infants and toddlers birth to age three with developmental delays, autism, or other diagnosed medical conditions the services they need, including for
speech and language challenges and occupational and physical therapies. For years, these families have suffered from underfunding of Early Intervention services. Not any longer.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 15, 2023
J.B. Pritzker:
The only bottom line that matters is keeping people healthy
I am introducing a bill to curb predatory insurance practices--putting power back into the hands of patients and their doctors. It's called the Healthcare Consumer Access and Protection Act.
We should never, ever, ever, ever cede decisions to the whims of insurance executives whose focus is always on the bottom line. When it comes to patient care, the only bottom line that really matters is what needs to be done to keep people healthy.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 21, 2024
J.B. Pritzker:
Expand who is recognized as Medicaid healthcare providers
In Illinois, a serious effort to reduce maternal mortality rates is long overdue. And Black women in our state are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Beginning this year, doulas, midwives,
and lactation consultants can now be recognized as Medicaid healthcare providers, ensuring that they can be fairly compensated. That will make more services more readily available to communities with the highest mortality rates.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 21, 2024
J.B. Pritzker:
Rein in the unfair practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers
I'm introducing the Prescription Drug Affordability Act to rein in the unfair practices of PBMs, reduce drug costs for Illinois patients by hundreds of dollars per year on average, and protect independent pharmacists. We'll give full statutory authority
to the Department of Insurance to examine the books of PBMs and require them to submit to annual auditing. We're going to end their overcharging for drugs people rely on, from insulin for diabetics to chemotherapy for cancer patients.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 19, 2025
Juliana Stratton:
Trump, Republicans stripping away health care from millions
The Trump administration, MAGA extremists and congressional Republicans are once again stripping away health care from millions and millions of Americans, including 3.4 million Illinoisans who are on Medicaid, who are at risk of losing, potentially
losing their health care coverage. That includes 1.5 million children in Illinois, and not to mention all of the people that are employed by hospitals, over 400,000 Illinoisans who are employed by hospitals and health care systems.
Source: WCPT, Heartland Signal, on 2026 Illinois Senate race
Jun 25, 2025
Raja Krishnamoorthi:
Medicaid is too important a program to cut in the budget
The president did not think it was even worth saying the word "Medicaid" in his marathon-length speech on the state of our country. Each day, my office and those of my colleagues are contacted by individuals, families, and organizations
reminding us of the immense human toll of gutting such an important program. For American seniors and working families, Medicaid is not simply too important a program to go unmentioned; it is also too important to cut.
Source: Newsweek on 2026 Illinois Senate race
Mar 11, 2025
Robin Kelly:
Vaccines are safe, effective, and the best medicine
[On HHS]: "It is clear that Health Secretary Kennedy received no serious input from medical experts in his unilateral decision to reverse COVID-19 vaccine recommendations," said Rep. Kelly. "What concerns me is his lack of care for
the consequences of his decision. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to COVID--we saw that firsthand just a couple years ago when maternal deaths spiked during the pandemic. Vaccines are safe, effective, and the best medicine to prevent outbreaks."
Source: Riverbender.com on 2026 Illinois Senate race
Jun 24, 2025
Robin Kelly:
Trump's policies will lead to deaths of LGBTQ people
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) bluntly stated that Trump's policies will lead to the deaths of LGBTQ people both in the U.S. and abroad, citing the severe consequences of his cuts to foreign aid programs like PEPFAR, the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. "We are just five years away from ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic," she added. "Our progress cannot stop."
Source: Washington Blade on 2026 Illinois Senate race
Apr 1, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026