Pritzker calls on Trump to reopen Obamacare
Governor charges president with ‘leadership malpractice,’ as 42 new COVID-19 deaths push state toll past 100
Backed by Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Gov. Pritzker gives the daily coronavirus briefing at the Thompson Center. (Illinois Information Service)
By Ted Cox
Gov. Pritzker called on President Trump to reopen enrollment for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act Wednesday as Illinois recorded 986 new cases of COVID-19 and 42 new deaths, a new one-day high that pushed the state toll well past 100.
At the daily coronavirus briefing at the Thompson Center in Chicago, Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike reported the state’s total number of COVID-19 cases reached 6,980, with the death toll at 141. “The coming weeks are going to get more and more difficult as the number of cases and deaths continue to rise,” she said. “But I’m not urging people to despair. Let’s be strong and courageous. Don’t be terrified. Don’t be discouraged. The courageous actions that we need to take are well within our grasp.”
Pritkzer said he joined other governors in asking President Trump to declare a special enrollment period for Obamacare. The governor cited figures showing that 800,000 Illinoisans are uninsured, and that the majority of those could enroll immediately if the opportunity were presented.
But he did not sound optimistic that the president would grant that request. “Some White House officials are saying that the president will not be reopening the insurance marketplace in response to the coronavirus,” Pritzker said. “Frankly, this is leadership malpractice. Now more than ever we need as many people as possible to have access to health care to seek out testing, if we’re ever going to be able to fight COVID-19 and eliminate it as a major risk to our people.”
Pointing to “the Trump administration’s continued pursuit of a legal case to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” he called that “a special insult to the people of this nation at this moment. To seek to kill the ACA at a time like this — not to mention ever — undermines everything that we’re trying to do to keep people safe.”
Pritzker stressed that those recently laid off, who’ve lost their health insurance, can enroll in Obamacare in any case under the standing rules for special enrollment periods. He urged those newly unemployed to seek out health insurance if they’ve lost theirs through the state marketplace at GetCoveredIllinois.gov.
Pritzker said they’re “continuing to follow the science” in enforcing the statewide stay-at-home order and in providing medical advice. He and Ezike said they were waiting for guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on whether people should wear masks when out in public, but the governor emphasized that a mask “does not replace staying at home” as “the best mitigation strategy,” although he immediately added, “I would not discourage people from wearing masks.”
“The best way to not get ill is to stay home,” said Ezike, who continued to advise people to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly, clean commonly used surfaces, and cover coughs and sneezes. “All these things seem minimal,” she said, “but these are the courageous actions that are going to save lives and eventually end this pandemic. … Social distancing works, and is one of our best strategies to get on the other side of this unprecedented event.”
Ezike said the state continued to follow the same deadly path the pandemic has traced around the world, with an estimated 20 percent of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization, 5 percent needing to be admitted to an Intensive Care Unit, and with a mortality rate of between 1 and 3 percent. “Our numbers unfortunately are going to bear that out,” she said, “and we will see growth in the number of deaths most unfortunately until we get to that peak” of infections. The goal, she said, is to limit the number of infections through mitigation efforts so that hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
She added that 19 prisoners at the Stateville Correctional Center are now hospitalized and being treated for the coronavirus.
Pritzker said the state is ready to staff McCormick Place in Chicago for the first 500 beds being added there this week to provide augmented treatment for those requiring hospitalization, but “there are not enough health-care workers in the workforce today” to fully staff the expected 3,000 beds being placed there this month. He repeated calls for any and all Illinoisans in the medical field to sign up for emergency alerts at illinoishelps.net, and he applauded the more than 1,000 retirees and out-of-state health professionals who’ve already responded to a call to volunteer and return to work in Illinois during the crisis.
“It’s really incredible to watch,” he said. “The people of this state are truly so deeply, genuinely caring.”
On that note, the governor and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a new Arts for Illinois Relief Fund to provide the same sort of support to people idled by the statewide shutdown in the arts community that has already been extended to service workers at restaurants and bars. The Arts for Illinois website provides those in the art field with a venue to promote their work, and also allows those in support to give donations. According to Pritzker, it’s already raised $4 million.
“Our creative communities have felt the financial hardship,” Pritzker said, crediting his wife, M.K., and Lightfoot’s wife, Amy Eshleman, with helping to lead the effort.
“I’m seeing firsthand how artists are hurting from this crisis,” said Chicago artist Amanda Williams. “We need the arts now more than ever.”
Drawing attention to April 1 as National Census Day, the governor encouraged all Illinoisans to be sure to respond to the 2020 U.S. Census, and he emphasized that there is no citizenship question and the information is kept confidential. By law, the Census is meant to count all U.S. residents, not just U.S. citizens. “Yes, we are in the biggest battle of our lifetimes against COVID-19,” Pritzker said, “but it’s important to look beyond this fight today and to take this moment to think about our future.” Emphasizing that the Census will help allocate billions of dollars in federal funding, as well as determine Illinois’s congressional representation, he added, “Continue to stay home, and take 10 minutes and fill out your census form online,” at my2020census.gov, although residents can also call (844) 330-2020 or simply mail back the completed form they received in the mail.
The governor, however, discouraged people from attending church, even on the upcoming Palm Sunday and Easter to follow April 12, and asked churches instead to set up services online. “I understand how important worship is, especially in these moments,” he said, “but it can be done virtually, and I would suggest that — despite the desire on Easter to get together, to worship together — I would still tell people please stay home. Please stay home.”