(SPRINGFIELD) A measure to modify Illinois’ health insurance regulations is now heading ot the Illinois State Senate. That’s after House Bill 5395 was approved in the State House late last week. Known as the Healthcare Protection Act, the bill will do several things for state regulated insurance with projected increased costs for taxpayers. In fact, most downstate lawmakers say that while there may be some good things within the bill, the main concern is the cost for the state’s taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plans for those who are in Illinois illegally, something that already costs Illinois taxpayers nearly $700 million a year.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois State Board of Elections’ certification of the results of the March 19th primary election is official as voter turnout was at 19% statewide. The total shows just over 1.5 million of Illinois’ 7.9 million registered voters cast ballots in last month’s primary, the lowest turnout in a presidential primary in the past several decades. The only statewide office on the primary ballot was for President of the United States where President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary with 91% of the vote and former President Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 80% of the vote in Illinois.
(SPRINGFIELD) The Illinois Department of Public Health has announced the start of the 2024 Healthy Illinois Survey, a statewide effort to compile data on the current state of health & wellness in Illinois, plus areas where public health can be improved. Under state law, the IDPH is required to administer an annual survey to obtain data from every county and zip code in the state, establishing a baseline of public health information to allow for progress to be tracked and measured each year. Health officials around Illinois hope to reach as many as 55,000 households this year by the end of July.
(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois now has a federally recognized Indian Nation within its borders. The U.S. Department of Interior has announced the government has returned portions of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation land, located DeKalf County, northwest of Joliet, into a trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The tribe said the U.S. Government illegally auctioned off some 1,280 acres of their northern Illinois land some 175 years ago.