TO:  Health Care Justice Supporters

FR:  Jim Duffett, Executive Director, Campaign for Better Health Care

RE:  May 29th Status

 

We have now entered the 9th inning of this legislative battle.  It is unclear if we will be going into extra innings. We are on the verge of making history.  We call upon you to help again during this last week of the legislative session.  YOU HELP IS VITAL! Please see the ACTION part below, but first I wanted to provide you with an update.  We must flood legislators' offices with calls on Tuesday and Wednesday.  No Retreat!!

 

Please forward this out to your listserv or email list.  If you prefer this email in a different format, contact Jess Lynch at jlynch@cbhconline.org or 312-913-9449.

 

UPDATE: Governor Blagojevich, Senate President Jones and House Speaker Madigan have now met twice, and at Friday's meeting Senate President Jones submitted a $5 billion annual revenue growth plan with an additional one-time $2 billion infusion of cash.  Governor Blagojevich's plan is a $7.2 billion annual revenue package versus a nearly zero growth budget by House Speaker Madigan.  Click here to see Senate President Jones' proposed revenue sources.  

 

There are several unknowns:  1) The revenue put forth by President Jones is $700 million to $2.2 billion less than what the Governor has proposed; 2) While the specifics on what the money will go towards is not specified, it is likely that the $1 - $1.5 billion put forth in the Governor's plan for property relief is not included; 3) this leaves between $700 million and $1.2 billion short of the Governor's plan; 4) the revenue sources put forth by Senate President Jones have the ability to be modified to make up this difference; and 5) Governor Blagojevich and Senate President Jones are still committed to move forward on health care reform and education funding.

 

Other Comments/stumbling blocks/rumors/etc.:

- Illinois Covered (health care reform) will still be paid for by a 3% health care assessments on businesses not providing health care (raise over $1 billion), and possibly the rest ($2 billion+) will be paid for by gambling (Speaker Madigan stated this to reporters).  It is unclear if all the expanded gambling will be used for health care.

- State Senator (Senate Majority Leader) Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) stated in the Tribune "medical coverage for uninsured adult must be slashed by two-thirds because of lower revenue projections."  WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN.  Question - who will those two-thirds be that she will be denying health care to?

- Madigan and Cross have been meeting and agreeing to a zero-based budget.  If this is so, and the other members of the Democratic House agree to this - it will be a long and hot summer, which is fine for health care activists.  We will expand our organizing district by district until we win.

 

ACTION: Capitol Switchboard 1.888.801.4426

• Call your State Senator and tell her/him: Vote for Illinois Covered.  If they are a Democrat also state: Everybody In and Nobody Out - this is a Democratic Party principle and we accept no less!
• Call your State Representative and tell her/him:  Vote for Illinois Covered.  If they are a Democrat also state: Everybody In and Nobody Out - this is a Democratic Party principle and we accept no less!
• Call Democratic House Speaker Madigan and tell him: Health care is my top priority.  Everybody In and Nobody Out - this is a Democratic Party principle and we accept no less!

OTHER:

- State Senate TV Ads:  The TV Senate ads have had an effect.  These ads were coordinated with a number of our allies who were also generating phone calls into targeted State Senators;

- International Labor Leaders to call Speaker Madigan.  Several major international labor leaders who help the Speaker's Annual DC fundraiser will be calling him this week - "support Illinois Covered and the funding - health care for all is a Democratic Party principle" (see their letter to the General Assembly online at: www.cbhconline.org/HCJC/laborletter.pdf);

- TV ads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi3ir0pLJa8) to begin airing in 5 State Representative districts tomorrow.