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IL Lawmakers Face Critical Decisions in Health Care

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Illinois lawmakers are facing two critical decisions about how to carry out President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Gov. Pat Quinn is pushing legislation to establish a state-run health insurance exchange to help middle-class citizens and small businesses, along with a multi-billion-dollar expansion of Medicaid to cover the poor. The state's Democratic leaders generally have supported the new law, but neither proposal would be considered sure if passed. The governor is expected to get support from hospitals and major insurance companies for the Medicaid expansion, since it would bring billions of federal dollars to the state. But some legislators object in principle to expanding government programs.

Whitney grew up listening to Car Talk to and from her family’s beach vacation each year, but it wasn’t until a friend introduced her to This American Life that radio really grabbed her attention. She is a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, Tenn., where she studied journalism. When she’s not at WKMS, you can find her working on her backyard compost pile and garden, getting lost on her bicycle or crocheting one massive blanket.