Preckwinkle Wants To End Circuit Court Judges Sweetheart Health Insurance Deal

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 8, 2013 4:54PM

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle opened another front in her ongoing battle with Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans Monday, when she suggested ending a health insurance perk for county judges at a premium you won’t see in the Get Covered Illinois health insurance exchange.

Circuit Court judges receive a $500 annual stipend from Cook County on top of their $182,429 state salary, technically making them county employees under a little-known state law and thus eligible for health insurance from Cook County for a percentage of their salary that amounts to less than $1 per month. Preckwinkle’s office said the actual costs to the county range from $440 to $1,700 a month.

Preckwinkle’s proposal calls for part-time county employees to either pay the actual cost of the insurance or shop for their own coverage elsewhere, such as the Get Covered Illinois exchange. The proposal would affect 400 county employees, most of them judges. (Employees of the Cook County Board of Elections and nearly 30 crossing guards would also be affected.)

Preckwinkle and County Sheriff Tom Dart have been arguing with Evans about a backlog of cases in Cook County Bond Court and the overcrowding at Cook County Jail. Preckwinkle spokesman Owen Kilmer told the Daily Herald the president’s latest proposal was about “fairness.”

"The president believes there's a better way to manage these benefits,” Kilmer said.

Preckwinkle will present the proposal to the County Board later this week.