* 1:47 pm - Trust me on this one, she’s doing a whole lot more than “thinking about” running for governor…
The next gubernatorial election is still two years away, but Attorney General Lisa Madigan acknowledges she’s “thinking about” a run for the state’s top job.
Madigan didn’t offer any other hints Monday about a plan to challenge her fellow Democrat, Governor Rod Blagojevich, should he seek re-election.
Madigan says her immediate election goal is to get Democrat Barack Obama elected president in November.
* 2:17 pm - The governor’s quasi-dictatorial decision - blocked so far by two different courts - to start up a taxpayer funded program without legislative approval has resulted in severe consequences….
Illinois pharmacists must help pay for a health care program the Blagojevich administration bungled.
A notice from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and obtained by The Associated Press tells pharmacies a court order precludes it from reimbursing prescriptions filled under the FamilyCare program Governor Rod Blagojevich expanded.
Illinois Pharmacists Association director Michael Patton says the druggists are out the money they spent for the medication, expecting to be reimbursed under FamilyCare. He says no one can tell him how much money pharmacists are losing.
* 4:10 pm - Buried in this puff piece about Attorney General Madigan are these somewhat surprisingly nice words by Ed Murnane, of all people…
Fears that Madigan would be a trial-happy opponent of tort reform groups have so far proven unfounded, said Ed Murnane, president of the Illinois Civil Justice League.
“She’s been a pleasant surprise to those of us who were concerned that she would be very closely aligned and sympathetic to plaintiffs’ lawyers,” said Murnane, who serves on the board of directors of the American Tort Reform Association.
Murnane noted that while Madigan would not be considered an ally of the tort reform movement, “She has not been the ogre some thought she was going to be.”
He said “problem attorneys general” are known for taking their consumer protection duties and responsibilities too far.
“I do not think that Lisa Madigan has gone overboard, at least not yet,” Murnane said. “She is probably to some extent trying to keep some of her powder dry because she is widely assumed to be keeping a pretty close eye on the governor’s office.”
- Speaking At Will - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:03 pm:
== Trust me on this one, she’s doing a whole lot more than “thinking about” running for governor…
==
I assume this is one of those times when if I subscribed I wouldnt just have to trust you Rich?
- Bill S. Preston, Esq. - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:10 pm:
Like making calls, having meetings, etc. Def doing more than thinking. As our Comptroller has been doing also - I’m sure he’s seething that his feelers aren’t getting the same amount of press.
- Levois - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:13 pm:
Hmmmm what would be going on if she wasn’t thinking about it?
- downhereforyears - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:14 pm:
Hey Rich..in my opinion it’s pretty close to a given that she is running and the sooner she gets that word out there, and settles things like the Countrywide mortgage lawsuits, she will back away folks like Hynes, Daley etc. I would love to see if you could get a quote fdrom the current Gov.
- Anon - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:15 pm:
She’s probably “thinking about” whether anyone has a videotape or picture of her dancing with the Governor, which could come back to haunt her.
- Captain Flume - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:28 pm:
I hope she decides not to run in the next election. If she does run and get elected, I wonder if she will occupy the Governor’s mansion.
- OneMan - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:30 pm:
== Illinois Pharmacists Association director Michael Patton says the druggists are out the money they spent for the medication, expecting to be reimbursed under FamilyCare ==
Wow, here come the lawsuits. If I was them I would also sue Friends of Blago just to be punitive.
- 2for2 - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:32 pm:
Was that a loud collective burst of laughter I heard from the Obama campaign in response to her “immediate election goal?”
- Jaded - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:40 pm:
The Pharmacists should just sue the administration. Everyone else is because that is the only way you get anywhere with these goofs!
- A Citizen - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:40 pm:
Guv issues a Press Release: ” What is she thinking?”
- Commonsense in Illinois - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:50 pm:
The House may have just gotten its impeachable offense. Not paying pharmacy obligations along with the little nugget that the Blagojevich Administration doesn’t know anything about the health care programs and how many people and providers have been left stranded might just be the straw that breaks the back.
- Rep. John Fritchey - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 2:57 pm:
“A notice from the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and obtained by The Associated Press tells pharmacies a court order precludes it from reimbursing prescriptions filled under the FamilyCare program Governor Rod Blagojevich expanded.”
This is EXACTLY what we said would happen when they came before JCAR. Shameful.
- OneMan - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:02 pm:
Same thing going to happen to the docs as well?
- He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:03 pm:
This is just the tip of the iceburg. How about the office visit charges? Or any further treatment charges? Who gets stuck with that?
- Rep. John Fritchey - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:09 pm:
Anybody that incurred out of pocket expenses who expected reimbursements (pharmacists, docs, PATIENTS) thinking that the state was providing coverage, is likely out of luck. The administration ought to be real thankful that they don’t have PERSONAL liability for these costs.
They were explicitly told that this was the likely outcome. They ignored it. And innocent people and businesses are going to pay the price for their arrogance.
- Captain Flume - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:13 pm:
Haven’t seen a press release from the spin misters on this one yet. Should be fun to read if one appears.
- downhereforyears - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:16 pm:
AS far as the pharmacists are concerned I agree with the good Representative. I was at the JCAR meeting when the administration was told that this would happen. Like everything else they have done they just ignored reality and pursued this fantasy.
- Just My Opinion - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:20 pm:
Call me “Scrooge”, but I wish I could feel sorry for the pharmacists. Many doctors in Illinois saw this coming and that is why they would not take new patients under the “new” program. What few patients were able to find a doctor, I suppose, could have been quite needy of medical attention and pharmaceuticals, thus sticking the doctors and pharmacies with very large unpaid bills. But who is at fault here? Could not some of these people have easily qualified under a simple Illinois Medicaid plan and bills would have been paid - paid very late - but paid? Can pharmacies legally turn people away if they don’t want to deal with Medicare, Medicaid, or various insurance companies? We all know drugs are way off the charts and these pharmacies can always make it up by billing other people’s good ol’ insurance companies.
- OneMan - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:38 pm:
== We all know drugs are way off the charts and these pharmacies can always make it up by billing other people’s good ol’ insurance companies ==
Umm, no sorry they can’t. Just like other providers you can’t ‘name your price’ with the insurance company.
Also not every pharmacy is a walgreens or cvs. some are still mom-pop operations who already deal with a state that pays late, now the have bills the state can not even pay.
- VanillaMan - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:39 pm:
This is unbelievable. Blagojevich has enough cash in his re-election pot to pay for this, and he should pay. It was his stupid idea and he should have enough testicular virility to pay up.
Its not like he’s Schock or someone.
- Cassandra - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:50 pm:
If she runs and wins the primary, would our Blago run as an independent I wonder? He seems be determined to hang onto the job. But a three way post-primary race would actually give a presentable Republican a chance. Surely the Dems would try to find something nice for Blago rather than risk that. Wonder what it would take to get
him to pack it in.
- Black Ivy - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:52 pm:
Not surprising, Attorney General Lisa Madigan?!? Let’s hope your gubernatorial candidacy is not met with the same misogynist and sexist resistance that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s and Sarah Palin’s candidacies were met with. Being the first woman to do anything is tough (Illinois governor - very tough) and you should have known better as you remained complicit in the anti-woman shenannigans of the Democratic Party.
- OneMan - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:52 pm:
Casandra — He can’t
downhearforyears — I don’t know if Fritche was referring to the pharmacists or not, if he was well I still don’t think a pharmacist is keeping track of JCAR opinions.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:53 pm:
===Being the first woman to do anything is tough===
Take a breath. We’ve had one female US Senator and one major party female Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
- Irish - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:57 pm:
JMO
Just like OneMan said a lot of these pharmacies are Mom & Pop operations and they are already on the ropes because all ot the mail order drug programs that are being mandated by employers and insurance companies. Their markup is mininal just so they can keep competitive. they are already hurting because the state is not making it’s medicaid payments to them and now our gov lays this one on their lap. Evidently this gov got worse grades in his economics classes than he did in his constitutional classes. If I were his alma mater I would be shredding any evidence he ever went there. This gov has done everything in his power to destroy the economy of this state. He started with business and industry, then went to trucking firms and agriculture, he tore the heart of of the tourism business, and now is working on the medical field. They ought to lock him in his basement and run feeds of recorded cubs wins, so he thinks they still have a chance. Maybe that will keep him occupied while the state tries to recover.
I made a prediction the other day while watching snippets of the rally at the Daley Plaza, when Blago put on the blue hat I said they had just replaced one goat with another and there was no chance they would win.
- sneaker - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 3:59 pm:
I know a small pharmacist who is already having financial problems because of the hugh delay in getting payment from the state. This news may just drive him to bankruptcy.
- pro - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:01 pm:
“This is EXACTLY what we said would happen when they came before JCAR. Shameful.”
… And yet you still voted to create this mess.
- BIG R.PH. - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:01 pm:
This is exactly my post of a couple of weeks ago. Like I said before and I will say again these people could not run a lemonade stand.
These recipients brought in a valid Medicaid card that looks exactly like every other Medicaid card. We filled the prescription, sent the claim to Medicaid, got a valid authorization number, got paid for the claim then got the money taken away. THIS IS B.S.!!
Today we get a notice from the Comptroller that Medicaid spending is way up and is crimping their cash flow. If you look at the detail of the Comptroller’s report is shows that corporate and personal income taxes are up for this year!!
When is enough enough?
The usual tax and spend liberal politics.
The State doesn’t have a revenue problem it has a spending problem!! And until the three tops realize this (or are gone for various reasons) this will not change.
- Anonymous - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:05 pm:
2for2 - Are you nuts?
Lisa Madigan has been campaigning for Obama before anyone in Iowa even voted. In fact, she’s is in Missouri as we speak on his behalf.
- wordslinger - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:10 pm:
It’s a hell of a thing to take an oath of office, ignore shared powers, petulantly violate the oath of office and promise health care through unconstitutional means, then stiff the folks who provide that health care. The only people left holding the bag are those promised the care and those who provided the care. Good Lord.
Mr. Mell, thanks a lot for cashing those chips back in ‘02. Rod couldn’t have done it without you. How’s that feeling these days?
- Anon - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:12 pm:
== Blagojevich has enough cash in his re-election pot to pay for this, and he should pay. ==
Can you say “fund sweep”? I knew you could!
- Cassandra - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:16 pm:
You can’t run as an independent in Illinois?
- downstate dem - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:36 pm:
Everyone knew that this non payment would happen,and yet
we go blissfully through the experience fouling up everything.
What the Guv has done is blantantly ILLEGAL!!
If this isn’t an impeachable offense of committing a crime, what is? The Crime . . . Theft By Deception.
Let the lawsuits roll.
- Vote Quimby! - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:49 pm:
As Hoffman has said, it’s time to stop the bs and begin impeachment hearings. We can’t wait for any current investigation to end. This administration is dangerous to people and causing real harm in any definition: emotional, physical and fiscal. Call your rep today!
- Vote Quimby! - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 4:51 pm:
(using Hoffman’s BS line for context–not attempting to portay Jay is calling for impeachment)
- downhereforyears - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 5:09 pm:
ONE MAN– Fritche was referring to the Gov and his staff at the Dept. of Human Services.
- oneman - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 5:20 pm:
casandra
You can’t run as an Independant when you lose a primay in the same cycle for the same office. You can’t pull a liberman in Illinois.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 5:27 pm:
He could, however, run for reelection as an independent and skip the primary. No way he’d win, though.
And, it’s not looking like he’ll make it that far these days.
- Scoop Brodski - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 6:05 pm:
I just recieved a call the Rezco’s sentencing was delayed again. Is that true?
- downhereforyears - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 6:34 pm:
Scoop Brodski
Someone should take away Blago”s shoelaces if that’s true.
- Rep. John Fritchey - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 6:36 pm:
Pro- (4:01)
Try to at least have a semblance of an idea of what you’re talking about rather than just weighing in.
I spoke against it, wrote against it, and voted against it.
As a Democrat, it would have been politically easy, advantageous even, to vote for expanded health care. It also would have deceiptful and misleading to innocent people.
That kept me from supporting it. It didn’t keep the administration from pursuing it.
- Ruh Roh Rod - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 6:39 pm:
The feds do indeed have a motion up in court on Wednesday to delay Rezko’s sentencing.
The extra time is needed to finish fact-checking the info given to them by TR so that the appropriate recommendations can be made.
Time to stick a fork in the Sultan of Sunnyside.
- pro - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 7:23 pm:
Rich, I think all us Chicago baseball fans can agree on one thing right now:
Go Bears!
- pro - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 7:33 pm:
And Sir John Fritchey - your personal attacks aside - I think it goes something like this:
- you vote against rule
- Courts use your vote as basis for granting preliminary injunction
- state has to abide by court injunction
- pharmacists don’t get paid on time
The administration will win on this. But you can’t claim innocence in the process. Your blind bickering with the Governor for whatever reason isn’t helpful, no matter what high ground you claim.
And you don’t fool anyone here - it is more politically advantageous for you to be anti-Governor than to be pro-Democrat.
- Rep. John Fritchey - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 7:53 pm:
I may be in a curt mood today, but I attacked nobody. You upbraided me for voting for something that I actually voted against. I called you out on it.
And tell me that you understand that the court based its ruling on the LAW and not on my vote.
I’m not sure what you’re basing your statement that ‘the administration will win on this’ on. I would sincerely be open to hearing the rationale.
And I’m not claiming innocence. Or vindication even. I’m simply saying that JCAR was right at the time, and that this could have all been avoided had the administration abided by the ruling of JCAR, a ruling which was in fact empowered by previous legislation pushed by this Governor.
And lastly, this isn’t a partisan issue, both Ds and Rs alike voted against the Governor’s plan.
I’m not trying to fool anyone, nor do I think that the 80+% of the public not happy with his performance is being fooled either.
I candidly don’t have the time to get into a typewritten exchange here with an anonymous poster. Feel free to call me at my office (I’m usually in by 7:30) or e-mail me. I look forward to continuing the conversation.
- ramsin - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 8:11 pm:
Isn’t the feminine of “ogre” “ogren”? Just asking.
- Wumpus - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 8:32 pm:
Fritchey, you may want to take that picture of you and Blago off your website.
- Under the Dome - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 8:42 pm:
Too bad the pharmacists can’t sue the Rod campaign fund since this was a political ploy to get him more votes anyway.
- Anonymous - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 9:52 pm:
The fund will be frozen by then anyway.
- pro - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 11:23 pm:
John - you didn’t call me out on anything. You don’t know what your own vote was -
You voted to block the rule.
You voted FOR the prohibition.
If you hadn’t, there probably wouldn’t have been a lawsuit. And there wouldn’t have been a court injunction to temporarily suspend the program.
I thought I was pretty clear.
Now, the rest of that post wasn’t really comprehendable, so I won’t bother responding to it.
But I will ask - what happened to that FamilyCare bill you swore you would fight to push through that would accomplish the same thing as the rule?
You really worked hard on that one.
- Bookworm - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 11:30 pm:
Pro, it got bottled up in Rules. Who do ya think did that?
- Bookworm - Monday, Oct 6, 08 @ 11:38 pm:
I am not a lawyer and I don’t play one on TV either, but even if JCAR didn’t vote against the rule, I think there probably would have been a lawsuit anyway. Probably an even more complicated lawsuit that what we had… the question would have become whether 12 JCAR members could grant “legislative approval” to something the rest of the General Assembly didn’t.
If that had happened, JCAR would have been seriously derelict in its duty to insure that rulemakings conform to what the GA intended when the law was made.
To say this mess is JCAR’s fault is like saying it’s the teacher’s fault if you flunk out of a class, or the police officer’s fault if you get a speeding ticket.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 7, 08 @ 7:03 am:
Bookworm, don’t bother. This is just more diversion from the razzle-dazzle machine. lol
- oneman - Tuesday, Oct 7, 08 @ 7:10 am:
Razzel dazzel. That was my break dancing name back when I was ’street’.
- Bookworm - Tuesday, Oct 7, 08 @ 7:21 am:
I suspected as much. Actually the comments are more for the benefit of our audience watching at home
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[…] Is there any way for this NOT to happen? The Tribune reported yesterday that she was “thinking about it” and CapitalFax thinks it’s a done deal. […]