Earlier News Coverage

Torres is part of a wave of low-income people who have gotten caught up in a nationwide skimming spree of SNAP benefits that started to spike last year. The federal government is reimbursing people whose benefits were stolen since October. Some states are filling in the gap further, by refunding victims whose benefits were stolen from January to September 2022.

Increases in health care costs are negatively impacting individuals and small businesses in Illinois by making health insurance less affordable. The high cost of health care leads to higher health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for individuals and small businesses.

Many jobs include a certain amount of paid sick, vacation, or personal leave for workers. A worker who becomes ill, needs to care for a sick family member, or wants to take a day off can use this leave without any interruption in pay. But many workers don’t have any paid leave—so if they take leave, they lose income.

“We know that health care prices and costs are going up, and this is one way for the state regulatory agency to be able to push back on costs for consumers and to try to make it more affordable,” said Stephani Becker, associate director of healthcare justice at the Chicago-based Shriver Center on Poverty Law.

A recent report from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law and Families USA found that a strong process for approving health insurance price increases leads to significant savings for consumers and small businesses.

“No one should have to choose a paycheck over their well-being,” said Audra Wilson, President and CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. “That’s why we focus on creating a level playing field for women workers with low wages, Black workers and Latinx workers—who in many cases cannot afford to take unpaid leave. This recent victory will have a huge impact on helping all working families.”

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law found in 2020 that 70 percent of the United States’ most hazardous waste sites are located within one mile of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-assisted housing facilities.

Eric Sirota, director of Housing Justice for the Shriver Center, said he doesn’t think assistance to own a home or rent is the silver bullet.

“We’re hoping people get over to the marketplace and see there are affordable plans so we don’t lose a lot of people,” said Stephanie Altman, director of healthcare justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago.

A coalition of advocacy and labor groups is pushing for a state law to give Illinois workers 26 weeks of paid leave if they need to recover from an illness, sexual assault or domestic violence or to take care of a sick family member or new child.

The Family Medical Leave Insurance Act, recently introduced in the Illinois Legislature, would create a state-run insurance program that allows workers to use up to 26 weeks of paid protected leave every year.

Shriver Center President & CEO Audra Wilson discusses the impact of Illinois' rising minimum wage on working people.