The federal government granted a waiver to Cook County Friday evening that lets the county enroll 114,000 low-income people in Medicaid program. Under the 2014 implementation of the Affordable Care Act, federal funding of Medicaid will dramatically expand, with anyone at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level being eligible for government-provided health care.

The federal waiver allows the new Medicaid provisions to be implemented in Cook County one year early. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said getting the waiver approval was "the top legislative priority of my administration."