By Steve Rhodes
That’s easy. But thinking is hard. Plus: Rahm’s Kinky Campaign Kickoff; The Worst Reporter In Chicago; The Illusory Raise In Chicago’s Minimum Wage; Who Polices The Chicago Police? The Chicago Police.
Posted on December 8, 2014
Big Changes In Fine Print Of Some 2015 Obamacare Plans
By Charles Ornstein, Lena Groeger and Ryann Grochowski Jones/ProPublica
This story was co-published with The New York Times’ The Upshot.
At first glance, the 2015 health plans offered by the Ohio nonprofit insurer CareSource look a lot like the ones it sold this year, in the Affordable Care Act’s first enrollment season.
The monthly premiums are nearly identical, and the deductibles are the same.
But tucked within the plans’ jargon are changes that could markedly affect how much consumers pay for health care. Generic drugs will soon be free, but the cost of expensive specialty medications will increase. Co-payments for visits to primary-care doctors will go down, but those for emergency room trips will be higher.
Millions of people nationwide bought health insurance this year through the federal government’s health insurance exchange, often through the website Healthcare.gov. Now, as they pick plans for next year, they face a complex battery of choices and changes.
Posted on December 5, 2014
Colleges That Pledged To Help Poor Families Have Been Doing The Opposite, New Figures Show
By Jon Marcus and Holly K. Hacker/The Hechinger Report
Decked out in black tie and formal dresses, guests at Mr. Jefferson’s Capital Ball finished their salmon with horseradish sauce just as the band lured them onto the dance floor with classics including “Shout” and “My Girl.” Some of the people who paid up to $400 a couple to attend the event in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Mayflower Hotel joined in the Electric Slide.
The ball was more than just another Friday night party to ease Washington into the weekend. It had the commendable purpose of raising money for scholarships to the University of Virginia.
But not the kind of scholarships that go to low-income students based solely on their financial need. The proceeds from Mr. Jefferson’s Capital Ball are destined for merit aid for applicants who have the high grade-point averages and top scores on entrance tests that help institutions do well on college rankings. Merit aid can also attract middle- and upper-income students whose families can pay the rest of the tuition bill and therefore furnish badly needed revenue to colleges and universities.
As institutions vie for income and prestige in this way, the net prices they’re charging the lowest-income students, after discounts and financial aid, continue to rise faster on average than the net prices they’re charging higher-income ones, according to an analysis of newly released data the universities and colleges are required to report to the U.S. Department of Education.
Posted on December 3, 2014
Illinois FOIA Under Attack (Again)
By The Illinois Public Interest Research Group
A coalition of good government and media organizations joined Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan Monday in voicing strong opposition to a recently introduced measure in the Illinois General Assembly that would significantly weaken the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The measure, introduced last Tuesday, would expand the ability of a government body to withhold information from the public, and make it harder for citizens to use the legal system when a government body is violating transparency laws.
“At a time when we should all be working to increase transparency and accountability in government, this bill takes us backwards,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “This bill would make it significantly more difficult for members of the public to obtain government records, weakening the state’s most important transparency law.”
Groups opposing the bill include the Better Government Association, Citizen Advocacy Center, Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), ACLU of Illinois, Illinois Press Association and Illinois Broadcasters Association.
Posted on December 2, 2014