Aurora mayor John Laesch is opposing a proposed 15% water rate hike ($18 per water bill) for a Text-a-Physician program being advanced by State representative Barbara Hernandez, citing concerns over automatic enrollment, increased water bills, and unanswered questions about the program’s medical safeguards, privacy protections, and legal liability.
The proposed program would allow residents to text medical professionals about routine, non-emergency health issues. However, participation would be tied to residential water billing through an automatic enrollment process that would increase water bills by at least $18 per billing cycle, or nearly 15% on average. Residents would have just 60 days to opt out of the service.
“There is no doubt that Aurora is facing a health care crisis,” mayor Laesch said. “Rising insurance premiums, limited care options, and changes in federal health care policy are making it harder for families to afford the services they need. Prime Healthcare’s takeover of Aurora’s Mercy Medical Center has also added to these concerns. We cannot address this issue, though, by placing another financial burden on residents who are already struggling to make ends meet. Our residents deserve access to reliable and affordable health care, and our state and federal leaders must do more to address this crisis without raising the bill of an essential utility.”
Financial and Consumer Protection Concerns
Aurora currently has over 14,000 residents whose water bills are automatically withdrawn from their bank accounts. Significant concerns exist for these customers, as well as for senior citizens and residents who speak languages other than English, who may struggle to navigate the opt-out process and could be stuck with a 15% water rate hike. With nearly 51,000 total Aurora water accounts on the books, this program has the potential to generate over $5.4 million per year, with all proceeds going to the corporation profiting off the Text-a-Physician service.
While expanding access to health care is an important goal, Mayor Laesch said the proposed program shifts the cost to water customers regardless of whether they want or use the service.
“This program, which is construed as a solution, does not solve the underlying issue,” said Mayor Laesch. “Instead, it exploits our public infrastructure and shifts the costs to our residents regardless of whether they want or use the service, including those who may never use the service. We should not mistake a resident’s failure to opt out of the program as consent to pay higher water rates. An automatic charge should never be the default for a new service when residents have not affirmatively chosen to participate. The only real beneficiary in this program is the private medical company that is banking on our residents to forget to opt out.”
It is also important to be clear about what this service is and what it is not. The ability to text a medical professional may provide residents with a convenient resource for routine questions, but it is not a substitute for comprehensive health care. It does not replace an established relationship with a primary care provider, physical examinations, diagnostic testing, ongoing management of chronic conditions, emergency care, or access to specialists and follow-up treatment. At a time when residents are struggling to access affordable, comprehensive care, the City should be careful not to present a limited text-based service as a solution to the broader health care crisis.
Mayor Laesch would consider an opt-in approach
Mayor Laesch said there is a straightforward alternative: make participation voluntary through an opt-in model. Residents who want the service could choose to enroll and pay the additional $18, while those who do not want it would not be charged.
This approach would preserve residents’ ability to access the service without making automatic enrollment the default or placing the burden on customers to avoid an unwanted expense.
“Our responsibility is to look for ways to make life more affordable for Aurora families, not create new costs they must actively fight to avoid,” Laesch said. “If this was a viable option for affordable healthcare, then this company would be signing people up left and right, without the government mandating a local water rate increase.”
In its current form, mayor Laesch does not support bringing the program before the Aurora City Council for consideration. He urges the Council to oppose the proposal unless it is restructured as a voluntary, opt-in program that protects residents’ interests.
“Water customers should not become health care customers simply because they failed to opt out,” Laesch said. “If this service provides real value, residents should have the opportunity to choose it. We should not require families to pay more for an essential utility to make a separate service work. Health care access matters, but so do affordability, transparency, and the right of every resident to decide how their money is spent.”
Important questions about medical oversight, privacy and liability still remain
Even if the City adopted an opt-in approach, mayor Laesch still has concerns about the program provider’s qualifications, patient privacy protections, medical oversight, and potential legal exposure before considering any partnership.
Outstanding questions include who would be responsible if a serious medical condition were overlooked, what safeguards would be in place if a resident received inadequate advice, how follow-up care would be handled, and what legal responsibilities the City could assume by facilitating enrollment and collecting fees through its water billing system.
“The City must fully understand the risks and responsibilities before attaching its name, resources, and billing infrastructure to a private health care service,” Laesch said. “We need transparency about how the program operates, how residents are protected, and who is accountable when something goes wrong. Those are basic questions that must be answered before moving forward.”
The City of Aurora is offering residents an opportunity to provide their feedback on the program, too, through an interactive poll now available at www.aurora.il.us/TAP.
—City of Aurora government