“We started this program with a simple premise: In a healthy and functioning society, no one should fall into financial ruin simply because they got sick,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a news conference announcing the latest round of medical debt relief.

Lawmakers are considering legalizing a controversial medical practice that proponents say could ease suffering for the terminally ill. It’s sometimes called “assisted suicide,” although physicians and advocates for the practice prefer the term “medical aid in dying.”

Pritzker’s budget team provided a rosier projection of an extra $1.5 billion in revenue growth, meaning he has to cover a $1.7 billion budget gap to balance the budget, rather than the $3.2 billion deficit previously estimated.

Chicago residents struggling with mental health issues often encounter barriers to accessing traditional care like therapists or medication.

Common signs of autism include trouble with social communication and a fixation on certain routines or topics and may go unnoticed during someone’s childhood. It can be costly and difficult to obtain an autism diagnosis later in life.

Cook County officials and health care providers gathered at a Friday news conference to remind residents to get tested and use a condom to protect against sexually transmitted infections.

The judge’s ruling came after a lawsuit was filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has already been compromised by the president’s order.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only “no” vote among Republicans, mirroring his stands against Trump’s picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence.

Lurie Children’s Hospital will continue to provide hormone therapy and puberty blockers, a hospital spokesperson confirmed, and specifically noted that mental health care will also continue as part of the hospital’s gender care program.

Supporters of gender-affirming care called on the University of Illinois health care system to be clearer and more transparent about its commitment to providing gender-affirming care in light of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end such care for minors.

It’s the first new pharmaceutical approach to treating pain in more than 20 years, offering an alternative to both opioids and over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

The proposed board would be an independent body that would review and set upper payment limits in each step of the supply chain, said Anusha Thotakura, the executive director of Citizen Action/Illinois, a progressive lobbying organization.

Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people and families, is jointly administered by the federal and state government, which also share costs.

The screenings will take place at parks in communities where residents have some of Chicago's lowest life expectancies.

In an effort to minimize patient disruptions, Planned Parenthood of Illinois leaders said they plan to expand patient care at other locations as needed and through the PPDirect app.

The price negotiations for the additional 15 drugs selected will be handled by the incoming Trump administration and, if deals are reached, almost assure billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.