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Meanwhile, over in the House…

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Illinois

* Too often, smaller bills like this get buried in the coverage of the ongoing Statehouse “civil war.” Kristen McQueary fills us in…

Put yourself in these shoes:You have a 3-year-old daughter with speech delays directly related to hearing loss.

The cost of her hearing aids? Upward of $2,500. Your health insurance plan doesn’t cover it.

Add hearing aids to the long list of products and services many insurance companies consider medically unnecessary. Hey, who needs ears, anyway?

A committee of the Illinois House recently agreed. The insurance committee led by state Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley) by an 8-to-7 vote rejected House Bill 5600, which would have required insurance companies to cover the cost of hearing aids. Because federal law protects self-funded employer health insurance plans from such mandates, HB 5600 only would have impacted families in individual or small group plans - not a very wide net.

Still, the insurance committee voted the bill down, agreeing with the insurance industry that such mandates, collectively, create a slippery slope. They drive up the cost of health insurance.

* Meanwhile, in other House news…

People are lining up in Springfield to complain about the governor’s plans to cut money from agriculture programs.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is threatening to withhold money from research programs, county Extension offices and more.

Critics packed into a legislative hearing Wednesday to criticize the plan, which could mean layoffs and cuts to the 4-H youth program. The governor’s office responded that the state budget is running a $750 million deficit that must be filled.

* Other House news…

* Politics, politics, politics

* Agriculture cuts proposal prompts angry hearing

* Daley gun bill defeated in House

* Gun bill rejection is rural Illinois’ annual “forget you” to Chicago”

* Daley: We need ‘common sense’ on guns

* Daley wants gun crackdown near schools, parks

* Sex offender law tweaked

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 9:42 am

Comments

Imagine that, most insurance companies will pay for Viagra, hey, a medical necessity, but hearing aides for the hearing impared, nope, not a medical neccesity, not even for children.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 9:54 am
Three year old children are NOT going without hearing aids because a big insurance company isn’t compassionate enough. Three year old children are covered for these items by a myriad of programs and charities. We cough up thousands each year - each of us - to provide for charities and programs to offer the poor eyeglasses and hearing aids.

The example she used to justify having a BIG insurance company pay for a toddler’s hearing aid is ridiculous. She deliberately smeared these differences out of compassion for this imaginary 3 year old. That’s not the point!

What McQuery wants is for the big mean ugly insurance companies to pay for these items and doesn’t care about all the other ways we already provide for the fictional example she weeps over. She doesn’t care if eyeglasses and hearing aids are different to health care than pacemakers or artificial body parts. She wants to stick it to these big ugly rich insurance companies and lay the blame at their feet.

Who should pay for eyeglasses and hearing aids? These items are not like pacemakers where if they are not worn, but are needed, can result in death.
No. Hearing aids and eyeglasses are not covered under health care insurance. Why should they be? There is a difference here that needed to be noticed, and the vote taken by the insurance committee recognized it correctly.

It has gotten TOO EASY to fingerpoint at others and demand compassion from them, even when it isn’t justified. I know a lot of people are more than happy to fret and whine over how these fictional poor deaf and blind toddlers are suffering and all we need to do is demand that someone else pay for it. It is easy when we fingerpoint isn’t it?

You don’t build a compassionate and moral society by taxing people under penalty of law. What makes charity and morals good is how these things are voluntary, not legally enforced. A society that allows it’s citizens the opportunities to voluntarily contribute to it’s communities is the one that becomes moral. I am frankly tired of hearing how I am being unfeeling or unchristian when I refuse to allow government greater access to my wallet. It isn’t the same thing! It is abusing our religious beliefs in order to empower bureaucracies, not help one another.

Stop it. We have a charitable society capable of providing eyeglasses and hearing aids without resorting to government mandates placed on unpopular businesses in order to salve our conscience. And I am not being a Scrooge to point this out. I am active in charities that provide these things FREE already.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:04 am
===Stop it. We have a charitable society capable of providing eyeglasses and hearing aids===

Oh, please. You want people to rely solely on the charity of others? There was a time when conservatives despised those who accepted handouts.

Insurance companies fall under state regulations. It’s within the right of the GA to address this issue, rather than leave everything up to “charity.”

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:08 am
We don’t need stricter gun laws. In Chicago, no one, except police officers and aldermen, are allowed to own handguns. Chicago has a higher murder rate (number of murders per 100,000 people) than New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Phoenix, and Miami. New York has more than twice as many people as Chicago, but, during four of the last six years, Chicago had more murders than New York. The Chicago criminals go to other towns, buy guns, and bring them to Chicago, knowing that the law-abiding people can’t defend themselves.

According to the Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, by William Bennett, in 1960, about 10% of American babies were born out of wedlock. In 1991, the percentages were 65%, for Blacks; 30%, for Hispanics; and 25%, for Whites. When only one parent raises a child, it’s harder to teach the kid good morals, especially since many single mothers aren’t able to spend enough quality time with their children, because they work two or three jobs, to make ends meet. When parents aren’t with their kids, many of their teenagers become criminals. Government can’t do much to change this. Each American should be more responsible and not conceive children until they’re married. Single fathers should show that care more about their kids by paying child support and spending more time with their kids.

Comment by PhilCollins Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:17 am
Hearing aids? Your health insurance plan doesn’t cover it. Your salary does.

As for Extension and 4-H, the governor seems to be using this as blackmail to get the authority to “sweep” funds. Just when you think the governor has reached a new low, he digs a little deeper.

Comment by Fan of the Game Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:19 am
At the end of a story on the proposed Ag cuts, there was this:

Ginger Ostro, the governor’s budget director, said the administration can’t fill the deficit solely by cutting new programs or canceling expansions. Some existing programs will have to go, she said. “The real challenge that’s facing all of us is that the revenue isn’t available to provide for many of the programs that have been funded by the General Assembly as we look at the programs across the state.”

I may be mistaken, but weren’t those “programs funded by the General Assembly” signed into law by the Governor? He wants shared services, how about shared responsibility?

Comment by anon Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:45 am
I think he made a typing mistake;

Gun bill rejection is rural Illinois’ annual “forget you” to Chicago

Should have been:

Gun bill proposal is Chicago’s annual “we don’t like you and your culture, so we will force a bill that does nothing but annoy you” to rural Illinois

Comment by Pat collins Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 10:52 am
The ‘forget you’ argus guy is a looney with multiple errors in his blog. GASP–errors in a blog!–. Speaking for my fellow narrow-minded, ballcap wearing tattooed freaks in southern Illinois, he writes that only 1/3 of the population is in rural Illinois. If that is true, some other legislators beside us slack-jowled yokels must have agreed with it. Please do NOT link any more stories from this doofus.

Comment by Trapped In The Metro East Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:19 am
He’s not a doofus, and I will continue to link to his stuff.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:21 am
Rich,

In response to your 10:08…

I take my child to dialysis. My insurance company doesn’t cover my gas money. It is medically necessary for me to drive her to dialysis. Shouldn’t the GA mandate that transportation costs be covered as well? Gas is expensive you know. Why should I rely on local charity for this money? Surely insurance should be compelled to pay for all this shouldn’t they?

I’m sorry to be so cynical with you, but you have in full display of you, crappy state gov’t in action. From top to bottom there is nothing but corruption from entrenched corrupt individuals. Yet you and many others think that inherently corrupt people should be further in control of our daily lives. Every stinking action they take in regard to health care in this state increases costs, thereby decreasing available coverage, thereby increasing the necessity of these idiot politicians running around and legislating solutions that cause further and greater unintended consequences!

Comment by anon 11:20 Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:30 am
=== Yet you and many others think that inherently corrupt people should be further in control of our daily lives.===

Please. That’s a bit much. Take a breath and try again.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:34 am
The gun bill allows everyone to get their ticket punched with their constituent groups.

I’m not a gun owner, but I’m not against hunting. I think strict gun regulation is reasonable, but I don’t want outright bans for law-abiding citizens.

The “gun” issue to me is youth-on-youth murders. We’re losing another generation in the cities. All the reasons everyone cites and more apply — lack of parental control, individual irresponsibility, lack of extra-curricular activities, gangsta culture, etc.

With a 50% dropout rate, I’m in favor of the plan Rahm Emanuel is peddling to require everyone to finish high school and then have at least one more year of school or public service — bring back the CCC. Build some pride and sense of accomplishment. It will cost, but we’re paying a dear price now.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:36 am
ya all have a nice debate on the hearing aids, my insurance helps cover the cost of the audiologist and the actual aid. It’s my understanding that medicaid also foots these items. Last I knew the dept of specialized children also helps foot these items. Guess it’s okay for some, but not for all. Gas? It’s not a laughing situation, but glad you think so.

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 11:57 am
They need to manidate coverage for hearing aids.

Illinois has mandated women get coverage for Birth control pills; no reason not to do this for hearing aids.

Comment by Ghost Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:23 pm
But why would not Gov. B’s “all kids” cover this situation?

Surely Rod didnt’ pass a bill that didn’t REALLY improve health care coverage?

Comment by Pat collins Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 12:49 pm
==They are more likely to want to believe whatever spin the Illinois State Rifle Association wants to put on the issue, rather than the Daley spin.== ==Perhaps the key is to drag every rural legislator into the Stroger Hospital emergency room to give them a sense of the chaos that can be created by firearms in the city==
or perhaps someone from Chicago can go to a weekend gun show south of I-80 to see for themselves what they are threatening to take away: church groups working the counter at the bake sale and grill; fathers and sons buying their first hunting rifle together; and, yeah, some rednecks who may fall into the ‘bitter’ realm Obama referenced.
With its own history of organized crime, southern Illinois has struggled since the loss of virtually the coal industry. When the minimum wage was $3.35 in 1983, my mom worked in a cheese factory to support 3 kids–it closed because the labor costs were too high! I’ve met more people from my hometown here in the Metro East than I still know live there. There’s not a lot left down here–can’t even grow corn south of I-64– no wonder guns and meth are popular.
Sorry Rich, he may not be a doofus but he could at least do some research. He states ==Admittedly, Bost is from the region that literally is closer to Memphis than either Chicago or St. Louis – the two cities that 95 percent of Illinoisans identify with== google maps: Cairo to Memphis 167 miles; Cairo to St. Louis 161 miles.
The region does have a national forest and abundant wildlife. Remember the world class SHOOTING range they built down here? People down here have had a lot of things taken away, and its easy to scare them with ‘those Chicago Democrats are taking away your guns.’
How about a little dialogue us yokels can understand?

Comment by Trapped In The Metro East Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 1:00 pm
Perhaps the key is to drag every anti-gun politician into Illinois graveyards and give them a sense of how many innocent victims of violent crime have died needlessly because they were denied the right to defend their lives and the lives of their loved ones with handguns.

Comment by Pro-Gunner Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 2:59 pm
Hand guns have been illegal in Chicago since the 80’s. Murder and gun crime remain high. Apparently either the laws are ineffective, or the enforcement of the laws is lax.

Why do you want to apply the same ineffective rules to the rest of the state? Is there some time warp which revels that each of the weapons used and purchased illegally would have been unavailable with new laws?

I have no guns. I had my fill when I was in the military, but I sure want to be able to purchase one legally if I change my mind.

These attempts to further criminalize gun ownership increase the risk to the general population and seem to have zero effect on the criminal class. As far as I am concerned they are attempts to make lazy legislators look like they are doing something.

Comment by Plutocrat03 Thursday, Apr 17, 08 @ 9:42 pm
If Democrats and Republicans talked about Universal Catastrophic Health Insurance and/or Universal Preventative Care our nation and state might actually find reasonable compromise that would benefit millions more people without costing billions.

The whole point of insurance is to prevent severe financial problems, not pay for every minor problem…otherwise we get really expensive comprehensive health care plans, which are no longer true insurance.

These comprehensive health care plans are also not focused on preventative health care because it’s not as profitable.

We have a very sick system that maximizes health care dollar expenditures, rather than quality outcomes. Why don’t we get a big discounts if the treatment fails? Even used car salespeople are held to higher standards of performance.

The root problem is greed by those who want to scare everyone into believing they need healthcare support for every little sniffle and cut.

The solution is not scaring more people into demanding treatment for everything (demand for healthcare is unlimited and thus unaffordable), but focusing on inexpensive universal prevention and universal catastrophic health insurance is very doable.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 18, 08 @ 7:40 am