More lip service
Tuesday, Jan 5, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Emily Miller…
Hi Rich.
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. In a press release issued today by the Illinois Department of Public Health, IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah says, “We know that with routine screening, cervical cancer is highly preventable, and yet more than 4000 women were estimated to have lost their lives to cervical cancer in 2015.” http://www.dph.illinois.gov/news/january-cervical-health-awareness-month-0
Unfortunately for women in Illinois, the Governor’s failure to make passing a budget his first priority means the state has not invested any money into the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, the entity which provides routine breast and cervical cancer screenings to women across Illinois regardless of income.
While $6 million in federal pass through funds have been released, zero state dollars have been spent, meaning an estimated 15,000 fewer women will have access to these potentially life-saving services.
In addition, in his budget, the Governor proposed cutting Illinois investment in breast and cervical cancer screenings from $13.5 million in GRF, the final appropriated level for FY15, to $4 million, which is about a 70% decrease in state funding.
Cutting cervical cancer detection is an example of the “short term pain” the governor’s willing to endure as he continues to hold the budget hostage to his policy agenda.
Emily Miller
Policy and Advocacy Director, Voices for Illinois Children
Co-Coordinator, Responsible Budget Coalition
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 12:49 pm:
“Bruce has no social agenda”
Diana Rauner
President
Ounce of Prevention
Food for thought…
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 12:56 pm:
“No preventative medical screening until Unions are decimated” - Fake Bruce Rauner
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 12:57 pm:
Why does the administration put out these press releases that reveal the hypocrisy of its rhetoric in relationship to its actions?
You’d think a superstar communications team would know better.
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:07 pm:
In the outside nation, there are regular observances for months, weeks or days to highlight various issues. In this case we have one of the many observances relating to a major health problem. The appropriate agency in each state runs up the change of command a news release to highlight this observance. This has been done annually in Illinois for years upon years. The problem is that Rauner’s Illinois doesn’t allow GRF to be spent on programs relating to those observances. The superstar staffers evidently don’t get that the routine is now embarrassing because we don’t have a routine Governor who has allowed the passage of a routine budget with GRF funding to needy programs.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:07 pm:
regardless of income.
We have a governor who believes that people who don’t earn their way, that regardless of their citizenship and civil rights, shouldn’t be a burden upon taxpayers.
If you don’t pay more in taxes than the average Illinoisan, you are a second-class person who should be lucky to get whatever Illinois taxpayers want to give you to survive another day.
This mentality is what we get when we elect someone who refers to us as “taxpayers”, not as citizens. Someone who claims they want to provide a “value”, not to provide a service to all. Someone who thinks he has to repeatedly tell us that he is a “winner”, clueless to their own real-world secondary consequences and too willfully blinded by their own pride to see a need to compromise, their own shortcomings, or the value of others.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:15 pm:
The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer program was created to serve poor women that did not, in the past, have access to medical care. We now have expanded Medicaid in Illinois? Who does the IBCCP serve now that women have access to Medicaid?
- Just Me - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:32 pm:
Anonymous @ 1:15 — You’re half-right, women of child bearing age were always eligible for Medicaid, but you’re point is still valid. With the passing of Medicaid expansion there are scores of health care programs the State no longer needs.
And to the original post, I find it disappointing but nonetheless expected that Ms. Miller has focused all of her rage at the Governor. Passing a budget is the job of the General Assembly; signing, vetoing, or amendatory vetoing a budget is the job of the Governor.
- @MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:36 pm:
“Who does the IBCCP serve now that women have access to Medicaid?”
Next time Google it.
– MrJM
- Old and Tired - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:44 pm:
Two questions:
1. Where is Bruce Rauner’s budget? We’ve been stalemated on the “Madigan-Cullerton” budget for six months, but no one is asking the governor to show us his proposal, especially in light of SB1 being overturned.
2. In light of healthcare providers serving state employees not getting paid, often to their severe financial detriment, where is the Illinois Dental Society, the Illinois Medical Society, and all the other professional associations? The unions are suing but it seems these groups are content to sit back and watch, and in the Med Soc’s case, even give money to Rauner’s PAC.
- 5th Generation Chicagoan - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:58 pm:
MrJM: you are correct. You “may” be able, “without SOME OR ANY insurance” (emphasis added.) Forget the age emphasis. Rauner is literally killing people.
- Jocko - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:58 pm:
At least Bruce & The Superstars didn’t put out another empty executive proclamation.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 2:00 pm:
Just Me, I thought part of the Governor’s job was to present a Budget to the General Assembly. The General Assembly then makes adjustments to the Gov’s budget and then passes it. The Gov then signs, vetoes, or admends what the GA passed. I must have read the constitution wrong.
- Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 2:36 pm:
==- Just Me - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 1:32 pm:==
In case you forgot, the legislature passed a budget, one more complete than the governor ever offered.
- Stones - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 2:53 pm:
As someone who has an immediate family member affected by cervical cancer, I am disgusted that this program is victim to lack of a budget and, when passed, stands to lose 70% of it’s funding. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Realkewlio - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 3:01 pm:
As someone who had cervical cancer cells removed a few months ago, I was concerned my insurance wasn’t going to cover it due to the budget impasse. Thankfully, my doctors office was much more worried about my health and would fight it out with the insurance company later, if needed.
Cervical cancer doesn’t care who you are or if you have insurance. Women shouldn’t have to avoid the doctor and potentially lose their lives over a cancer, that if caught early, has over a 90% success rate of never coming back. Diagnosing a cancer in its early stages is also much cheaper than waiting and having to treat the disease with chemotherapy or radiation.
- My New Handle - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 3:19 pm:
“Cutting cervical cancer detection is an example of the “short term pain” the governor’s willing to endure….”
Ms. Miller is on top of things, but the “short term pain” is certainly not being endured by Rauner, but his constituents. At least Rauner has not had the temerity to refer to himsell as a public servant.
- How Ironic - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 3:58 pm:
Hi Rich,
Going forward, Bruce wanted you to know that until RTW is passed RTC will be in force. Just in case you are not in the medical field, RTC is an new program Bruce is introducing. It’s full name is Right To Cancer.
Thanks!
ck
- Handle Bar Mustache - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 4:58 pm:
Gov Rauner’s appointees and friends are awfully quiet when stuff like this is highlighted.
Thanks, Rich - and thanks, Emily.
I hope other reporters take note and start asking direct questions of the Gov and his appointees about his administration’s priorities - and his words v. his actions.
- Handle Bar Mustache - Tuesday, Jan 5, 16 @ 4:59 pm:
If this does not reflect a social agenda nothing does.