Happy 2nd Birthday IHM!

Two years ago, on February 1st, 2011, Illinois Health Matters was created to be a source for straight-forward, factual info on the progress of health care reform in Illinois. Before we head into our 3rd year, here are some highlights from the past year:

Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation moved forward:

• The Supreme Court upheld the ACA (after a long, tense wait!)
• President Obama won the 2012 election, meaning the ACA isn’t going away
• IL submitted a blueprint application for a Federal-State Partnership Health Insurance Exchange.
• Cook County established CountyCare, which mirrors the ACA’s optional Medicaid Expansion
• And, most recently: A bill for Medicaid Expansion was submitted in the IL House & Senate.

As a communication tool, Illinois Health Matters hit some major milestones:

We released our first interactive data tool last year—the Visualizing Reform map, which displays the impact of the ACA on communities in IL, and made a big impression on policymakers, advocacy groups and health professionals from all across the nation. It also placed second in the Civic Data Challenge!

In October, IHM participated in the Escape Fire movie premiere, hosted by our parent organization, Health & Disability Advocates. The premiere was a fundraising success, the movie was impactful and informative, and we had a great time seeing many of our Chicago-area supporters and collaborators.

IHM content has reached close to 20,000 people (many of whom use it on an ongoing basis) and this blog has reached almost 33,000 more. With 2014 as a pivotal year for the Affordable Care Act implementation, we have more exciting, groundbreaking and informative plans in store for the next 12 months.

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Illinois Health Matters Staff