Ellis Levin has a strong record of working for better health care for everyone and fighting the excesses of insurance companies. As a State Representative, Ellis sponsored laws that:

•Prohibited Blue Cross-Blue Shield from receiving rate increases for its supplemental Medicare if it failed to act vigorously to hold down health care costs. This law prevented rate increases for supplemental Medicare benefits for four years.

•Accelerated the availability of generic drugs to senior citizens and other consumers allowing senior citizens to take advantage of generic drug savings under the Illinois generic drug laws

. •Reestablished and expanded the availability of pharmaceuticals and minimized their cost under the Pharmaceutical Assistance Act.

•Expanded the drugs covered under the Pharmaceutical Assistant Act to include insulin & other drugs used by diabetics including syringes and needles and any drugs needed for arthritis.

•Expanded the availability of long term care insurance policies.

•Expanded the penalties for non-handicapped persons who park in handicapped parking spaces

•Expanded the rights that handicapped drivers enjoy in Illinois to other states.

•Required state agencies which regulate health care and other services of direct concern to senior citizens to have senior citizens on their governing boards.