Access to health
Spreading the news of Legal Council’s lead pilot
Georgetown CCF’s Say Ahhh! blog invited our Children & Families advocates to write a feature on our lead pilot, Early Intervention, and the effects of lead-exposure on children. Currently, no widespread interventions address the negative neurocognitive effects of lead exposure, yet the promise of early childhood services cannot be ignored. Every state participates in IDEA Part C Early…
Read MoreShort-term plans lead to long-term risks
Short term limited duration (STLD) plans might be cheaper than traditional policies but come with the price of limited benefits. This is bad news for people who are diagnosed with certain illnesses and can be either charged more out-of-pocket or denied coverage altogether. The Trump Administration is expected to produce plans that will expand these policies,…
Read MoreDefend & Protect Illinois Immigrant Families
The federal government is planning to force immigrant families to choose between receiving the critical benefits they need to live (healthcare, food, shelter) and any hope of obtaining long-term legal status. The planned change would make use of benefits, even by children, a virtual bar to their parents adjustment of immigration status and is a…
Read MoreHealth Risks and Exposure To Violence
According to data “black Chicagoans…see higher rates of hypertension, obesity and death from heart disease than their white and Latino peers, which mirrors national trends.”
Read MoreACA Under Attack
Illinois’ Attorney General Lisa Madigan has join a coalition of 16 Attorneys General that are opposing a lawsuit filed by Texas and several other states.
Read MorePolicy Update: Legal Council Advocacy Victories
May was a busy month for the legal experts here at Legal Council for Health Justice. When we weren’t serving and empowering low-income people with chronic illnesses or disabilities at over a dozen on-site clinics across the city, or suing the State of Illinois on behalf of thousands of Illinoisans wrongfully delayed or denied Medicaid coverage, OR leading advocacy efforts in the State Board of Education investigation into CPS’ special education program and procedural violations, our team was hard at work advocating for numerous policies across the State.
Read MorePharmacies: An Endangered Species
A growing trend in the low income neighborhoods of Chicago is causing a great deal of concern for public health. Compared to white neighborhoods, black and Latino communities are being labeled as pharmacy deserts. “Pharmacy deserts” are neighborhoods that are suffering from various pharmacy closures. These vulnerable communities are usually less affluent and home to minorities and senior citizens. When pharmacies close, these residents are left behind without basic needs.
Read MoreStop Junk Insurance in Illinois
Quality and affordable health insurance should be available to every Illinoisan and every American citizen, full stop. Unfortunately, this notion is being challenged by pending federal regulations that could result in a large expansion of the number of short term plans offered to hardworking Illinoisans. Short term plans differ from other health insurance plans; their long lists of what is not covered leaves many consumers with expensive medical bills. Plans sold in Illinois can exclude coverage for preexisting conditions, prescription drugs, hospital room and board on a weekend, and treatment for mental and health or substance abuse disorders.
Read MoreMedicaid Matters for Seniors and Older Adults
More than 6.9 million American seniors ages 65 and older have Medicaid coverage, and more than 8.5 million adults ages 50 to 64 are enrolled in Medicaid. Medicaid is a lifeline for seniors and older Americans.
About 1 in 3 seniors live below 200 percent of the federal poverty line while the cost of nursing home care for a typical year is around $82,000. Thanks to Medicaid, about 6 in 10 nursing home residents are covered, making nursing home care more accessible and affordable.
Read MoreMedicaid Matters in the Opioid Crisis
In 2016, more Americans died from drug overdose than in both the Vietnam War and Iraq War combined. Two-thirds of these overdoses involved opioids. Over two million Americans are dependent on opioids, and medical professionals worry that this public health crisis will only continue to grow. In Illinois, 14.1 percent of deaths in 2015 are drug-related. Despite these numbers, there are treatments to help people with an opioid use disorder—and those treatments work.
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