Who would you call if you needed help?
The answer likely depends on the unspoken parts of the question. I know who I’d call for a dead car battery, an off-balance laundry machine or if my back injury flared. But what if I wanted a marriage counselor? Had a headache I couldn’t overcome? Thought my kid might be depressed?
Most people who have sought specialist care for physical or mental health concerns are familiar with the flood of uncertainty that comes with realizing help is needed and the challenges of finding the right professional who both has time to take on a new patient and the willingness to coordinate with a particular insurance provider.
Getting a broken arm set is a breeze compared to securing a licensed therapist for someone who has just survived a traumatic experience, and even those dealing with less urgent needs, to talk to a professional can struggle to simply establish an initial appointment.
House Bill 1085 attempts to tackle some of those challenges by amending the Illinois Insurance Code to impose new obligations on private policies subject to state regulation. Dozens of lawmakers have already endorsed the plan – the House passed it 72-33 – but they know the bill’s limitations: it can’t affect plans the federal government regulates, can’t force practitioners to accept insurance at all and, like any health care legislation, would only exist in the context of the Medicare and Medicaid frameworks dictating (or at least influencing) decisions in virtually all care settings.
State lawmakers can’t craft a perfect solution, but they’ve at least identified a problem and seek to help where possible.
HAVE YOUR SAY: It’s time again for the Department of Transportation Traveler Opinion Survey. The University of Illinois Springfield Survey Research Office conducts the annual online query, estimating about six minutes for completion.
“The survey has been done annually since 2000 to help IDOT record and track performance and public satisfaction levels on a variety of transportation issues, including the quality of the Illinois transportation system, roadway maintenance and traffic flow, road repair and construction, traveler services, commuting habits, safe driving measures and other state service priorities on topical transportation issues.”
Visit tinyurl.com/IDOTsurvey25 to find a link to the survey along with results dating to 2012, which allow anyone to access the agency’s “scientific overview of satisfaction levels concerning emerging transportation needs and public expectations among users of the Illinois transportation system.”
The 2023 results showed 66% of respondents rated IDOT as “good” or “very good,” down from 74% in 2021. There’s only so much precision we can expect from an opt-in online survey, but it would be interesting to see how other state agencies fare on the same question.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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