City employees who don't participate in the wellness plan will pay $50 more per month for health insurance. more ›

Before she takes the reins of Cook County Government, Board President-elect Toni Preckwinkle is tending to some last-minute business in her 4th Ward. More important to Preckwinkle is that there's no gap in her health insurance coverage between moving from her Alderman seat to the County Board. more ›

Workers at SK Hand Tools, which has a plant on Chicago's West side and another in suburban McCook, walked out Tuesday morning on a one day unfair labor practices strike. SK Tools withdrew coverage last May without notice, leaving employees there, who are members of Teamsters Local 743 to pay for health care out of pocket. "This has been devastating," Local President Richard Berg said. "It's like anybody else in society. If you don't need health insurance, you're fine, but when you need it, you really need it." Noting that one worker has been hit with $20,000 in medical expenses, he added, "People are threatened with losing their homes, with financial ruin." Like many U.S. manufacturers, SK Tools has been hit in the economic crisis and union officials acknowledge that the company has has been having some financial difficulties. They say that a concession proposal was put forth that would have cut wages by 20 percent, and reduced pay by $4 an hour for the first six months of the new contract. more ›

In the ongoing drama surrounding what may be the most ambitious piece of Barack Obama's social agenda, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr both held town hall meetings the other day on the proposed health care legislation. Jackson's town hall, while peppered with protesters out front, was a study in how to hold a well-orchestrated public event.