What are policymakers and various employer and industry groups doing to shape health care reform in Illinois – and what is the role of community leaders and residents?  Two new installments of Neighborhood Stories at Illinois Health Matters look at these questions.

Policymakers are looking at coordination of care, workplace issues, and expansion of Medicaid, IHM reports in Making Health the Best Policy, while legislators consider issues in setting up a state insurance exchange.  Should the exchange be an active purchaser or an “aggregator,” a “Travelocity” for insurance plans?  Illinois Health Reform Implementation Council co-chair Michael Gelder tells IHM that the insurance industry is working to restrict access to exchanges, which would increase costs for participants.

Community leaders on the South and West Sides will have a big role in educating new consumers in the next couple of years, IHM says.  Right now they should be talking up the advantages of health reform, countering efforts to undermine the new program.

A new photo essay, Policy to the People, visits a back-to-school and senior wellness fair in Avalon Park and talks with State Senator Donne Trotter about challenges in implementing health reform.