Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Friday, August 4, 2017. Have a great weekend!
J.B. Pritzker’s health-care plan involves letting anyone buy into Medicaid
Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker’s health-care plan includes establishing a “public option” called IllinoisCares, which would allow Illinoisans to buy into Medicaid at cost. “It is clear that the cost to Illinois families will be competitive with plans being offered in the private insurance market,” he said. Another benefit, he pointed to is that since Medicaid is already in every county, it avoids the problems of health insurers pulling out or people facing a declining number of coverage plans, adding that “if Republicans in Washington are ever successful in repealing the ACA, it would become even more necessary.” Two of Pritzker’s Democratic rivals in the governor’s contest. 47th Ward alderman Ameya Pawar and state senator Daniel Biss both responded negatively to the proposal, each saying that it doesn’t go far enough and that they support a statewide single-payer health care system. [Tribune]
