Amid uncertainty in Washington, Illinois lawmakers pass slimmed-down Medicaid package – Shaw Local

SPRINGFIELD — Nearly every year, Illinois lawmakers pass a package of measures dealing with the state’s Medicaid program, the joint federal and state health care program that covers low-income individuals.

Known as the Medicaid omnibus bill, it sometimes includes bold components, like a 2021 initiative that made millions of dollars available to local communities to help them plan and design their own health care delivery systems. Other packages have focused on smaller changes like guaranteeing coverage for specific conditions and medications or adjusting reimbursement rates for different categories of health care providers.

The Illinois General Assembly passed a scaled-back Medicaid package on the last day of the session Saturday.

This year, however, lawmakers passed one of the narr