Springfield
The General Assembly stayed in session until late Thursday evening to pass a bill that would lop off $1.6 billion from the federal-state Medicaid program that serves 2.7 million Illinois residents. But while state lawmakers worked overtime to enact Medicaid cuts, they just introduced a bill this afternoon that hikes the state cigarette tax and, combined with the cuts, would cover the state’s $2.7 billion in unfunded Medicaid liabilities.
