Illinois Quick Hits: State announces new Medicaid contracts

Illinois Quick Hits: State announces new Medicaid contracts

Spread the love

(The Center Square) – The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services has awarded new HealthChoice Illinois contracts to six Medicaid Managed Care Organizations.

The state agency says the new agreements will hold the organizations accountable for how they serve customers by promoting whole person care.

The program impacts about 2.4 million of the Illinois Medicaid program’s 3.1 million enrollees.

REPORT: IL AVERAGE STUDENT LOAN DEBT IS $39,042

According to new analysis, Illinois has the fifth-highest average federal student loan balance in America, with the average borrower owing $39,042.

SEO Backlinks used state-level student loan debt data and checked total statewide balances to show the scale of debt in each location. Maryland had the highest average borrower debt with $43,781.

Illinois was the only Midwestern state in the top 10.

APPEALS COURT ISSUES COMED FOUR RULING

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and codefendant Michael McClain have a right to see their corruption sentences vacated, but the court also said prosecutors may press on with a new trial.

In April, the appellate court directed the federal government to release Pramaggiore and McClain on bond, months after they began serving two-year prison terms.

Judges said in the ruling issued on Monday they were not suggesting that Pramaggiore and McClain are innocent, only that their convictions were flawed.

Pramaggiore, McClain and two others were convicted in 2023 of a scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

FBI CHICAGO: SEEKING VICTIM INFORMATION IN SEXUAL EXPLOITATION CASE

The Chicago Field Office of the FBI is assisting the Aurora Police Department in an effort to identify potential victims of a man facing sexual abuse and exploitation charges.

The FBI says Michael Herbert primarily targeted minor boys between 2013 and 2022. Anyone with relevant information is asked to visit fbi.gov/LetYourVoiceBeHeard.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Date set for Clintons to appear before House committee

Date set for Clintons to appear before House committee

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will appear before the House Oversight Committee later this month, after being threatened with...
Lawmaker says adopting federal ‘no tax on tips’ would help workers

Lawmaker says adopting federal ‘no tax on tips’ would help workers

By Catrina BarkerThe Center Square A growing debate over how tipped income is taxed in Illinois has resurfaced as state Rep. Regan Deering, R-Decatur, introduced legislation aiming to align Illinois...
AGs request probe into climate activists’ influence on Federal Judicial Center

AGs request probe into climate activists’ influence on Federal Judicial Center

By Tate MillerThe Center Square Twenty-two state attorneys general sent a letter to chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee, requesting that an investigation concerning improper influence on judges...
Detroit judge among four charged with exploiting vulnerable adults

Detroit judge among four charged with exploiting vulnerable adults

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Four Michiganders, including a sitting judge, have been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with embezzlement-related charges. All four are residents of Detroit and...
Govt. funding bills pass House on razor-thin margins, head to Trump's desk

Govt. funding bills pass House on razor-thin margins, head to Trump’s desk

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square The U.S. House passed a critical government funding package along bipartisan lines in a nail-biter Tuesday vote, sending it to the president’s desk. Once President...
DOJ announces more arrests in St. Paul church protest, nine total

DOJ announces more arrests in St. Paul church protest, nine total

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Federal officials have made nine arrests in connection with a protest that disrupted a Sunday morning church service in St. Paul on Jan. 18. That...

WATCH: Dems call for Noem’s impeachment, dismantling DHS

By Emily Rodriguez and Andrew RiceThe Center Square A coalition of Democrat lawmakers called for the impeachment of Kristi Noem, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary, on Tuesday. The...
WATCH: Los Angeles area robotics team starts 25th season

WATCH: Los Angeles area robotics team starts 25th season

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square Culver City High School’s California-based robotics team - known as the Bagel Bytes - has begun its 25th season of competition with this year's challenge...
Miller: Illinois ‘dragging its feet’ on voter rolls as election nears

Miller: Illinois ‘dragging its feet’ on voter rolls as election nears

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Congresswoman Mary Miller, R-Oakland, slammed the Illinois State Board of Elections on Monday for what she...
Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker wants to extend pension buyout program

Illinois Quick Hits: Pritzker wants to extend pension buyout program

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – With Illinois’ unfunded public sector pension liability hovering around $140 billion, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed an...
frankfort illinois library logo graphic.1

Anonymous Donor Gifts $20,000 to Frankfort Library

Frankfort Public Library District Meeting | Dec. 11, 2025 Article Summary: The Frankfort Public Library District received a significant financial boost in December through a $20,000 unrestricted donation from an...
Dems fail in first try to use ‘state sovereignty’ to ‘veto’ ICE

Dems fail in first try to use ‘state sovereignty’ to ‘veto’ ICE

By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineThe Center Square As a federal judge in Chicago prepares to hear Illinois' and Chicago's lawsuit seeking to all but halt ICE and Border Patrol...
Illinois Quick Hits: McIntyre back as inspector general for DCFS

Illinois Quick Hits: McIntyre back as inspector general for DCFS

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker has reappointed Ann McIntyre to continue serving as inspector general for the Illinois Department...
Lawmakers discuss budget, spending, tax credits as Illinois Senate returns

Lawmakers discuss budget, spending, tax credits as Illinois Senate returns

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – The Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee chair says greater federal scrutiny of state government spending will not change...
IL lawmakers push discount drug legislation to prevent restricted access

IL lawmakers push discount drug legislation to prevent restricted access

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers are pushing an amendment to ban restrictions or interference with a federal discount drug program....