North Cook News

Charles Hutchinson, a candidate for Illinois State House District 18, has brought attention to a state plan that aims to provide weight loss drugs for employees. Hutchinson, set to challenge incumbent Democrat Robyn Grabel in the general election, cited a newspaper article suggesting that the cost of this plan could be three times higher than the state's estimate.

"Your tax dollars at work," said Hutchinson, according to Facebook. "Springfield to provide weight loss drugs for state workers ($210 Mil/yr.) for "Equity". It does not apply to the "3.9 million low-income and disabled Illinoisans enrolled in Medicaid..."

Hutchinson referred to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times which indicated that Governor Pritzker’s office estimates the first year of weight loss drug coverage for state workers will cost $210 million. The coverage is slated to commence on July 1 for eligible enrollees in the state’s group health insurance program. From this date forward, all insurance carriers participating in the state’s health program will be required to cover weight loss drugs for state workers, legislators, judges, and their dependents.

Screenshot of Charles Hutchinson's May 1 Facebook post | Charles Hutchinson's campaign Facebook page

The provision for this drug coverage was included in an 899-page budget. However, according to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, it remains unclear who approved these four sentences. The report suggested that the inclusion of these drugs may have been influenced by Governor J.B. Pritzker’s chief of staff, based on information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The documents did not indicate any involvement from Pritzker himself.

The same article also revealed some resistance within the administration regarding this drug coverage being part of the budget implementation bill. Budget director Alexis Sturm questioned why this provision was included in the bill at all and warned aides and a Democratic staffer about its potentially high cost.

In addition, Ryan Cummings was quoted in the article stating that "the net cost to Illinois could range between $300 million and more than $461 million if half the eligible individuals on the state program that are estimated to be obese partake in coverage."

Hutchinson is a Wilmette lawyer with strong ties to his community through various roles including President of the Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, and a Board member for the Wilmette Theatre. His campaign, as outlined on his website, is driven by a shared goal of strengthening community connections and advocating for key issues such as parental rights, education, neighborhood safety, and tax reduction.

The 18th District covers north Cook County communities including Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northbrook, Northfield, Winnetka and Glencoe. The incumbent is Robyn Gabel (R-Evanston), who took office in 2010 and is nearing the end of her current term set to conclude on Jan. 8, 2025. Gabel is seeking re-election to continue representing the district in the Illinois House of Representatives, according to Ballotpedia.