* The federal government will pick up 100 percent of this program for the first three years and then 90 percent after that…

After nearly three hours of debate, the House approved a key part of President Barack Obama’s health care law. The proposed Medicaid expansion would cover low-income adults who don’t have children at home, and up to 500,000 uninsured Illinoisans would be newly eligible for coverage. Under the multifaceted measure, 342,000 people are expected to enroll by 2017.

“This is the cornerstone of our president’s agenda. Many of us have been waiting for this moment,” said Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat and bill sponsor. She tamped down questions from Republicans over timing by saying those who need care can’t wait another day.

The Republicans have been arguing for delay for a very long time. Last year, House GOP Leader Tom Cross urged the House to wait until after the presidential election, to see if Obamacare would survive. Obama won, but yesterday they came up with more reasons, including waiting until after the debt ceiling talks in September - as if Obama would negotiate away his signature achievement.

* More…

House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), who voted for the plan, said it would result in a financial windfall for Illinois because of an influx of $5.7 billion in federally-reimbursed Medicaid expenditures in Illinois, including for 48,000 veterans who would be newly covered under Monday’s expansion.

“The real point of this bill isn’t dollars and cents, although we make out like bandits if we pass Senate Bill 26,” Currie said. “The real point of Senate Bill 26 is to make for healthier Illinoisans.”

More…

Sponsoring Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, argued the plan would allow 342,000 poor adults to be eligible for the state-federal Medicaid health care plan who have long been denied coverage because they had no children.

* SB 26 passed with 63 votes with no House Republicans voting for it…

Monday’s roll call included seven Democratic “no” votes. They included Reps. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), Stephanie Kifowit (D-Aurora) Martin Moylan (D-Des Plaines), Natalie Manley (D-Joliet), Sam Yingling (D-Round Lake Beach), Katherine Cloonen (D-Kankakee) and Sue Scherer (D-Decatur).

All targets, or, at least, people who believe they’re targets. And I cannot see how Rep. Franks thinks he can run in a Democratic statewide primary after voting against Obamacare.

*** UPDATE *** Thanks to Wordslinger for pointing out this letter to the editor from Doug Whitley, President and CEO, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, David Vite, President and CEO, Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Jerry Roper, President and CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce…

As Illinois’ Legislature heads into the final weeks of the spring session, the business community is acutely aware of the serious decisions lawmakers must make to restore security to the state’s economic future. While it may seem counterintuitive to argue in favor of expanding Illinois’ Medicaid program to serve single, childless adults at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, our organizations believe expansion is an important part of a very complex equation in alleviating overall costs on employers in the short and long term (”Not enough doctors in Medicaid, state director says,” ChicagoBusiness.com, April 10). That’s why we urge the General Assembly to approve Senate Bill 26.

Illinois stands to gain more than $12 billion in federal funding under the expansion over the next seven years, but not without incurring some additional costs—albeit a fraction of the funding gained.

Beginning in 2014, all employers with 50 or more employees must offer full-time employees and their dependents coverage that meets minimum criteria outlined under the federal health reform law. Failure to do so will result in a penalty if an employee obtains subsidized coverage on the insurance marketplace-exchange, but no penalty is assessed if the employee enrolls in Medicaid. According to a recent Jackson Hewitt study, without Medicaid expansion, Illinois employers would face up to $106 million more in penalties assessed annually. For employers in the nonprofit sector—many of which serve the Medicaid population and support low-wage staff—the added financial penalties could mean drastic cuts in services or even shuttered doors.

We ask lawmakers to support SB 26 to expand Medicaid in Illinois to protect employers from even higher short-term costs and employees from missed coverage opportunities, and to provide additional certainty in planning for 2014.

* Other important stuff…

* Illinois House committee approves $9B human services budget: Rep. Greg Harris is chairman of the committee. The Chicago Democrat says the state is able to use unanticipated revenues to make payments that qualify for federal matching dollars. Those federal funds will lead to an overall increase in the state’s human services budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Larger agencies still will face cuts of about 2.5 percent in their operations budgets.

* Recommended Illinois education budget $6.6B: Democratic Rep. Will Davis of Homewood is the chairman of the committee. He says the budget will fund schools at 89 percent of the amount recommended by a state commission. The proposed funding level averts schools from cuts in general state aid for the first time in at least four years. Davis says the funding for school transportation, early childhood education and bilingual education will remain the same as the current fiscal year.

* Tax hangup stalls bill to expand gambling: Rita said negotiations are centered around both the rates that are paid and when they will go into effect. He acknowledged that in some cases, the negotiations could lead to lower taxes for some casinos. Rita also said discussions are taking place about earmarking some of the gambling revenue for specific purposes. The expansion bill, which was previously approved by the Senate, calls for some money to be allocated to economic development programs in black and Latino areas and for specific agriculture programs like extension services and to repair the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The amounts of those various earmarks are under discussion.

* Deadline near, Illinois pension reform snarled in state politics

* UNO makes changes to win back state money, restart work on Southwest Side school

* Editorial: How to save the United Neighborhood Organization

* ADDED: UNO makes changes, ‘I have failed,’ CEO Rangel says