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New Illinois bill addresses health insurance concerns

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New Illinois bill addresses health insurance concerns


ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Giving the power of quality health care access to patients and their doctors, a new health care bill makes its way through Illinois’ legislature.

The Healthcare Protection Act targets insurance companies that decide what treatment options a patient has, and how quickly they can be received. HPA passed the Illinois House of Representatives with an 81-25 vote. Receiving bipartisan support, Governor JB Pritzker says for too long, insurance agencies have made decisions that medical professionals are more qualified to make.

“We’re protecting Illinois families,” Pritzker says. “We’re talking to doctors and patients and consumers with one message: this bill will save lives and it will lower costs for millions of Illinoisians.”

Supporters say the bill would not only stop insurance companies from unfairly hiking rates, but it would also eliminate prior authorization for crisis mental health situations and ban what is known as step-therapy; when an insurance company requires a patient to use a cheaper, less-effective treatment than the one prescribed by a doctor.

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OSF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lisa Davis says doctors would agree they spend too much time dealing with the red tape from insurance companies that could have been spent treating patients.

“Well, you need a prior authorization. We get the prior authorization, something comes up and now ‘Oh, it’s expired.’ Now you have to wait and do it again and the whole time the patients sitting here, but not getting the true care that they need,” Davis says.

HPA also puts an end to plans that don’t meet the minimum requirements of the Affordable Care Act, joining 12 other states with the same ruling. The bill would also improve network adequacy, ensuring people can easily find healthcare professionals by requiring insurance companies to update their provider directories regularly to accurately show provider availability.

“We are requiring insurance companies to use the same treatment criteria to determine medical necessity that doctors do,” Pritzker says. “That way patients get what they need.”

HPA will also require insurance agencies to post which treatments need prior authorization. Should the bill pass the Senate, Illinois will be the first state to ban prior authorization when it comes to inpatient mental health.

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Expected to be discussed on the Senate floor in the coming months, HPA supporters are confident the bill will pass.



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Shooting leaves man dead, woman wounded in Mundelein, Illinois, apartment

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Shooting leaves man dead, woman wounded in Mundelein, Illinois, apartment


Two people were shot, and one of them died, in an apartment in the north Chicago suburb of Mundelein on Tuesday morning.

At 11:40 am., Mundelein police were called to a building in the 500 block of Deepwoods Drive following the shooting.

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They found two victims who had been shot. A woman was taken to an area hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, while a man died at the hospital, according to the Lake County sheriff’s office.

Mundelein police obtained a description of a suspect vehicle and broadcast it to other law enforcement agencies. Illinois State Police traced a car all the way to the Illinois-Indiana state line, where they pulled over the car and took a man and woman into custody.

Police believe the shooting was targeted and domestic in nature, the sheriff’s office said.

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force and Mundelein police continued to investigate Tuesday afternoon.

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Motorcyclist killed in Mundelein crash, police say

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Motorcyclist killed in Mundelein crash, police say


ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 1:19AM

ABC7 Chicago 24/7 Stream

MUNDELEIN, Ill. (WLS) — A motorcyclist was killed in a north suburban crash on Monday evening, police said.

Mundelein police said officers and members of the fire department responded to a crash involving a Suzuki motorcycle and a Honda SUV near Route 45 and Route 83 around 5:25 p.m.

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The motorcyclist, a 34-year-old man, was ejected, police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene, and his name was not immediately released.

Police said the intersection was shut down but is expected to reopen around 8:30 p.m.

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The Mundelein Police Department, the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team, and the Lake County Coroner’s Office are investigating.

Authorities did not immediately provide further information.

Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Severed arm in Illinois lake: Court records say body parts found in freezer, half-brother claimed self-defense

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Severed arm in Illinois lake: Court records say body parts found in freezer, half-brother claimed self-defense


Editor’s note: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers. Viewer discretion is advised.

New details have emerged in the case of a severed arm bearing a distinctive Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers tattoo that was recovered from an Illinois lake, leading investigators to identify the victim.

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James Adams, 26, and Robin Turner, 62, have been charged in connection with the death of 38-year-old Dalewayne Turner. Both face charges of concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 felony, and dismembering a human body, a Class X felony.

The backstory:

Two charged after severed arm with Packers tattoo found in Illinois lake, police say

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Will County court documents released Monday identify Adams as Dalewayne Turner’s half-brother and Robin Turner as his wife.

According to the documents, Adams admitted to fatally stabbing Dalewayne Turner, while Robin Turner did not contact law enforcement after the killing.

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Investigators allege the two took extensive steps to conceal the crime, including using bleach to clean the home and mask odors, repainting portions of the house, removing and burning wood paneling in a fire pit, and disposing of rugs.

Court records describe a large amount of blood at the scene and state that Dalewayne Turner’s body was dismembered. Some of his remains were placed in a freezer that investigators say was purchased specifically for that purpose.

Authorities allege the remains were placed in trash bags, weighted down, sealed with duct tape and transported to Lake Mattoon, where they were dumped in an effort to prevent the victim from being found and identified.

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Prosecutors said one weighted bag came apart, allowing Dalewayne Turner’s tattooed arm to surface. Boaters discovered the arm on the evening of June 28.

Pictured is an arm tattoo of a skeleton holding a Green Bay Packers helmet. (Illinois State Police)

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A dive team later recovered additional weighted bags containing human remains from the lake.

What they’re saying:

After Adams was taken into custody June 30, court documents say he confessed to the killing but claimed he acted in self-defense.

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“The one thing I will say is that I did it, but I did it out of self-defense. I will tell you guys that,” James said. 

During an interview with investigators June 30, Robin Turner said Adams and Dalewayne Turner argued in the living room before Adams stabbed him multiple times.

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According to court documents, Adams later told Robin Turner that Dalewayne Turner either fell or was pushed down a staircase after the stabbing and that he placed the body in a freezer.

Robin Turner told investigators she believed the body was still in the freezer, which she said she purchased from Best Buy on June 19 after her previous freezer broke.

She also told investigators that the repainting and remodeling inside the home were part of renovation work completed between June 21 and June 30.

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On July 1, Illinois State Police agents searched the home and found a downstairs freezer with what appeared to be a bloodstain dripping from a drain hole, according to court records.

Investigators opened the freezer and found a partial body consisting of a torso, neck and head, but no limbs, court documents state.

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What’s next:

Both Robin Turner and Adams are scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Thursday for a detention hearing.

The Source: The information in this article was provided by Will County court documents and previous FOX Chicago reporting.

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