Medicaid

In the days following the end of the session, Illinois State Senator Dave Koehler of Peoria looked back at the tense spring session.

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen is urging the public to call Republican lawmakers to protest proposed cuts to food aid and health insurance programs for lower income people.

Lawmakers passed one of the narrowest packages in recent memory, due mainly to the Trump administration’s vows to make sweeping cuts in federal funding for the program while state lawmakers faced their own set of budget constraints.

Central Illinois advocates for older adults are lobbying Congress to protect federally-funded programs they say are under threat.

The so-called Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed by the slimmest of margins in the U.S. House last week would make the 2017 federal tax cuts permanent. It also would make significant cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs.

Several service providers in Bloomington-Normal say proposed Medicaid cuts threaten health care locally. The U.S. House recently passed a measure that would slice $880 billion over the next decade.

Residents concerned about potential cuts to federal Medicaid staged a protest Monday outside the office of Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, who represents parts of Bloomington-Normal.

Nursing home industry officials are urging Illinois lawmakers to increase the rates they receive from the state’s Medicaid system, arguing the current rates are outdated and are forcing many facilities around the state out of business.

Gov. JB Pritzker says protecting Medicaid from possible federal funding cuts is critical for Illinois.

Health care advocates, hospital officials and people who rely on Medicaid for their medical coverage warned state lawmakers Wednesday of consequences that could result from proposed cuts in federal Medicaid funding.