LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS®
LAKE FOREST/LAKE BLUFF AREA

Welcome

In our November 2009 newsletter, we didn't have room to include the Proposed 2009-2010 Program of the Lake Michigan LWV. Click here to see it.

Thank you for visiting the online home of the League of Women Voters of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Area (LWV-LFLB). Our members are Republicans, Democrats, and independents. They are elected officials, homemakers, business people, teachers, students, professionals, parents, and grandparents. Some of them are leaders of the community who have helped make Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Knollwood what they are today. Some of them are tomorrow's leaders. Above all, they are interesting people who enjoy being involved in their community.

Through this site, you can learn about local issues and activities in which LWV-LFLB is involved. We hope you'll choose to get involved too!

Candidate Forum: 59th Representative District and Judicial Candidates

January 17, Laschen Community Center, Vernon Hills

Candidate Forum: U.S. Congress, 10th District

January 7, New Trier High School west campus, Northfield

Health Care: How to Cure the Chronic Crisis


LWV-LFLB co-president Cynthia Morehead welcoming attendees	Moderator Phyllis Albrecht	Panelists Jonathan VanderBrug and Courtney Hedderman	A full house of attendees

Why does health care cost so much? Why does it need to be fixed? To answer these questions and others, along with clearing up misinformation during the current national debate, the League of Women Voters presented the program “Health Care: How to Cure the Chronic Crisis” on Monday, October 5. This event was taped and will be broadcast in local communities for your viewing (click here for broadcast times), or you can view the streaming video in your browser (click here for video).

Following an introductory film, Health, Money and Fear, produced by ER doctor Paul Hochfeld, two expert panelists, Jonathan VanderBrug and Courtney Hedderman, provided current legislative updates and answered questions. Phyllis Albrecht, former Lake Bluff Village President and Past President of the League of Women Voters, moderated.

Jonathan VanderBrug, the Health Care Justice Director at the Campaign for Better Health Care, explained his organization’s work for health care reform. The Campaign for Better Health Care was founded in 1989 and is the largest health care coalition in Illinois, comprising more than 300 local and statewide organizations, including Catholic Charities, Church Women United, Illinois Nurses Association, Lake County Health Department, and University of Chicago Hospitals. The Campaign has received financial funding from many foundations, including Chicago Community Trust, Prince Charitable Fund, Field Foundation of Illinois, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Courtney Hedderman is Associate State Director for AARP Illinois. She is leading projects on health care reform and working on AARP’s national campaign, "Divided We Fail." AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 and over improve the quality of their lives. Founded in 1958, AARP has grown to 40 million members. It is the nation’s largest membership organization for people 50 and older.

In 1990, the LWVUS undertook a two-year study of the funding and delivery of health care in the United States. The LWVUS announced its position in April 1993. Since then the League has been advocating for health care reform to all administrations.
The health care position outlines the goals the LWVUS believes are fundamental for U.S. health care policy. These include policies that promote access to a basic level of quality care at an affordable cost for all U.S. residents and strong cost-control mechanisms to ensure the efficient and economical delivery of care.