Democracy Catching on in Illinois: Courts block Blago
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration doesn’t know who it’s signed up for an enlarged health insurance program, how much money in premiums it’s collected or even where that money is, according to a court ruling Friday that blocked the program’s expansion.
Illinois’ First District Appellate Court in Chicago upheld a lower court’s decision to deny Blagojevich permission to broaden FamilyCare after he was rebuffed by the General Assembly and the secretary of state.
The Democratic governor went ahead anyway, offering FamilyCare to participants with higher incomes, up to $83,000 a year for a family of four. The higher the incomes, the larger the premiums.
In a lawsuit filed by a lawyer and two business-group representatives, Blagojevich lawyers admitted they had virtually no record of the program, according to the opinion written by Judge James Fitzgerald Smith.
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