The state legislature this Tuesday moved to expand Medicaid eligibility in Illinois, effective Jan. 1, 2014, under the landmark federal Affordable Care Act.
Cook County has already initiated 55,000 applications to its CountyCare program for patients newly eligible for Medicaid as a result of federal health care reform. A waiver the county received from the federal government last October allowed the health system to begin enrolling patients in the CountyCare pilot program before the ACA takes effect in January.