Wednesday, April 17 - Blue Thursday Political Happy Hour / Healthcare Protection Act
Actions You Can Take
Action 1: TOMORROW - Blue Thursday with Brandon Pope and Gregory Royal Pratt on Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at The Hideout (1354 W Wabansia Ave)
Action 2: Ask your legislators to co-sponsor HB 5395 / SB 3739, the Healthcare Protection Act
Action 1: TOMORROW - Blue Thursday Political Happy Hour
How's Brandon Johnson doing a year into his term as Chicago mayor? Any better than Lori Lightfoot did? We'll discuss with a couple of old friends: Gregory Royal Pratt, the Tribune's City Hall reporter and author of a new book about Lightfoot, The City Is Up for Grabs; and Brandon Pope, the host of On the Block, Block Club Chicago's TV show on WCIU channel 26. Guarantee: they will have opinions!
Blue Thursday is our monthly political happy hour at Chicago's most soulful saloon, the Hideout Inn. Bar opens at 5:30, program starts at 6. Free and open to all, but please RSVP here.
Action 2: Healthcare Protection Act
In his State of the State address earlier this year, Governor Pritzker unveiled the Healthcare Protection Act, an expansive bill to curb predatory health insurance practices and give patients and their physicians more control over medical decisions. Here’s what the bill does:
Ending Prior Authorization for In-Patient Mental Health Treatments – Prior authorization is a practice requiring that insurers first approve a treatment before a patient can access it – even after a physician has prescribed it. Over the years, prior authorization has prevented thousands of patients from accessing necessary, and sometimes lifesaving, treatments.
Banning Step Therapy – Step therapy, or “fail first”, is a process by which insurers require patients to try an alternative – and usually less effective – treatment and have it fail before they can access the one prescribed by their physician.
Eliminating Ghost Networks – Ghost networks are directories that include providers who aren’t in-network, aren’t accepting new patients, or don’t even exist. This can make finding the right provider a lot more difficult and frustrating for patients who are seeking immediate care.
Prohibiting Junk Insurance Plans – Junk insurance, or short-term limited-duration plans, is a form of health coverage that offers very little benefits or security. They don’t have to be compliant with the Affordable Care Act’s standards, they don’t have out-of-pocket maximums, and they lack essential coverage for things like maternity care and mental health services. Many consumers are unaware of how little their junk insurance covers and can be left with thousands of dollars in medical debt when faced with a medical emergency.
Extending Rate Review to Large Group Plans – Currently, small group plans must get approval from the Department of Insurance before they can raise their rates – protecting consumers from unreasonable rate increases. The Healthcare Protection Act would extend those protections to the many Illinoisans enrolled in large group plans.
There are several ways you can get involved in helping the Healthcare Protection Act pass:
Contact your legislators – Lawmakers need to hear from you. Contact your legislators and ask them to support HB 5395 / SB 3739 as cosponsors.
Share your story – Have you or someone you know been negatively impacted by step therapy, junk insurance, prior authorization, etc? Share your experiences with a brief quote.
Action via Citizen Action Illinois
While some of these Daily Actions come from our own work as Indivisible Chicago Alliance, others are from our many partners working to advance the progressive agenda. We invite you to join us in supporting their work. Postings from partners do not imply Indivisible Chicago Alliance endorsement of specific policies and positions.