The Illinois Senate voted yesterday to end paying 100 percent of health insurance premiums for some state retirees that served in Illinois government for at least 20 years. The measure passed the House Wednesday, and Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to sign it into law.

The bill strips state-paid health premiums for about 78,000 retirees as well as current rank-and-file workers. In the future, Illinois will determine how much in health premiums it pays retirees on a sliding scale.

Unions opposed the measure, contending health premiums should be decided at the collective bargaining table, not in the General Assembly. Also, the measure sets up the larger issue of proposed changes to the state's public employee pension system.