Illinois
Illinois State Medical Society welcomes health insurance reform
We applaud Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s commitment to tackle health insurance reform as outlined in his recent State of the State address. The governor has vowed to tighten up how payers conduct “utilization reviews,” which is the process insurers use to determine whether a medical service will be covered under the health plan. The governor is also promising to prohibit step therapy, another impediment that patients must endure while the insurance companies decide whether to grant permission for treatments recommended by their physician. As the governor said, doctors and patients should be making decisions about medical care, not insurance companies.
It’s time to hold these payers accountable. No more ghost networks that are misleading patients on available physicians within their insurance network and no more making patients and physicians jump through hoops so bureaucrats can make medical decisions or delay care.
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.
It’s welcome news that these efforts that the physicians of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) have been fighting for years now have the full backing of the governor’s office. Both the Prior Authorization Reform Act (2021) and the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act (2017) were ISMS-backed legislative initiatives to improve patient care and access to the physicians Illinoisans need and deserve in their communities.
We look forward to working with the governor and members of the Illinois General Assembly to make sure the people of Illinois have access to quality healthcare and that the administrative burdens on physicians are lessened so that more of their time can be spent on delivering patient care.
Rodney S. Alford, president, Illinois State Medical Society
City, state should get ownership stake for new facilities
If the mega-wealthy owners of the Bears, White Sox or any other team want taxpayer dollars via government funding for new facilities (or related infrastructure), then the city or state should receive a commensurate ownership stake in the team in return. There have been more than enough no-strings handouts to millionaires and billionaires over the years, thanks. Typically, these trips to the public trough are premised on fantastical projections of economic activity and tax revenue, which never materialize at the promised levels.
The federal government insisted on receiving ownership stakes in auto companies when they were bailed out by the billions during the Great Recession, and taxpayers made a profit when those shares were eventually sold. This practice should be the rule, not the exception, when eye-popping sums of public money flow to private interests.
Jason Liechty, Lincoln Square
Unhoused Chicagoans shouldn’t be an afterthought
A report from The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless found that people living in Chicago without a permanent address, living on the streets, or in shelters exceeded 68,000 prior to the surge of migrants into the city beginning in 2022.
I commend the City of Chicago for rolling out the carpet and helping these immigrants by providing the basic necessities of life.
My only complaint is why we did not afford our own citizens, more than 68,000 of them, the same?
The level of help that we are providing now to the thousands of people without homes coming from across the boarder.
If Chicago truly is a sanctuary city, our homeless citizens should have been afforded the same necessities of life.
John Livaich, Oak Lawn
Enter your email and we’ll send a secure one-click link to sign in.
CIProud.com is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
CIProud.com is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
Combined state and federal taxes would take more than 50% of the top-end income for 22,000 Illinois small businesses.
Proposals in the Illinois General Assembly could slam massive tax hikes onto small businesses, the state’s primary job creator historically and in the recovery from the COVID-19 downturn.
One measure would punish 22,020 Illinois small businesses with a huge increase in their marginal state income tax rate and create a top tax rate of nearly 50.3% for them, once all state and federal income taxes are factored in.
S-corporations and partnerships, which “pass-through” their business income to their owners, who pay taxes as individuals, would see their top marginal state income tax rate jump from 4.95% to 7.95%, a 61% hike.
That would happen because the legislation, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 21, adds a 3% income tax on income above $1 million. It is scheduled for a hearing April 23 at which it could pass out of committee and go to a potential full House vote.
Research has shown that an increase in the top marginal tax rate is associated with a decrease in entrepreneurs’ hiring activity and lower wages for their employees.
Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation and among the slowest wage growth. These are exacerbated by some of the highest state and local tax burdens in the nation, including the second-highest property taxes and eighth-highest sales taxes.
In 2017 Illinois residents endured the largest permanent income tax hike in state history, when lawmakers increased the rate by 32%, from 3.75% to 4.95%.
Illinois already pushes out more businesses than virtually any other state. The “millionaire’s tax” could make the situation even worse. Illinoisans should reject this call for higher taxes on the state’s vital small business community.
Contact your state representative to stop the small business tax hike here.
SYCAMORE, Ill. – A Sycamore mother said she is still waiting for justice more than two years after her teenage son was stabbed to death.
The case is back in court this week, where a judge will consider a key request that could change how the case moves forward.
What we know:
A mother said her son’s life was cut short during a confrontation that turned deadly.
Heather Gerken said her 17-year-old son, Kaleb McCall, was stabbed during an incident in September 2023. She said Kaleb agreed to meet another teen for what he believed would be a fist fight while sticking up for a friend.
According to Gerken, the other teen, who was 15 at the time, pulled a knife and stabbed Kaleb in the chest. Kaleb later died from his injuries.
Gerken said a jury later found that teen guilty of second-degree murder after the defense argued he acted in self-defense.
Dig deeper:
The case is not over.
Gerken says the defendant’s attorneys are now trying to move the case out of adult court and into juvenile court. That decision could impact how the teen is ultimately sentenced.
What they’re saying:
Gerken said the legal process has been long and frustrating.
She said the case has stretched on for more than two and a half years and that ongoing court proceedings have made it difficult for her to grieve her son.
“He was everybody’s big brother,” Gerken said. “He had the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. He enjoyed fishing and being outside, and he was the best gift giver. He always got me flowers for every little holiday. Just a very thoughtful boy.”
Gerken also said the possibility of the case moving to juvenile court is especially upsetting, as she continues to push for what she believes is justice for her son.
“I don’t want anybody else’s child to die the way that my son died,” Gerken said. “Caleb is my whole world. I gave birth to him at 17 and he changed my life completely. He made me a better person. He taught me what real love truly is…And I just miss him so much more every day. And just knowing that he died the way he did. It makes me sick.”
What’s next:
The case returns to court Thursday morning.
A judge is expected to determine whether the case remains in adult court or is moved to juvenile court, a decision that could shape what happens next in the case.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX Chicago’s Lauren Scafidi.
-
Augusta, GA4 minutes agoAttention, shoppers: Augusta-area Walmarts to be remodeled in 2026
-
Washington, D.C10 minutes ago11 hurt after work vehicle collides with Silver Line train at Metro Center
-
Cleveland, OH16 minutes agoHouston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26
-
Austin, TX22 minutes agoAppeals court rules Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in class
-
Alabama28 minutes agoAlabama Defeated By Birmingham
-
Alaska34 minutes agoHawaiian, Alaska reservation systems merge: Big changes for travelers start April 22
-
Arizona40 minutes agoMichigan defenseman Hunter Hady transfers to Arizona State
-
Arkansas46 minutes ago
#24 Arkansas Explodes for Eight Runs in Eighth to Race past Missouri State in Midweek Rematch
