Gov. Pat Quinn didn’t exactly appreciate suggestions by Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno and House Republican Leader Tom Cross that he was dragging his feet on purging state Medicaid rolls of those ineligible to receive services.

“That’s complete baloney, and she knows it, and the Republicans know it,” he said. “We are going at full speed. This is all politics.”

Republicans have long made an issue of the state’s failure to recheck eligibility once a person qualifies for Medicaid benefits. They believe as many as 300,000 people are getting benefits who are no longer entitled to them because they earn too much or live out of state. They’ve gotten some political mileage out of the issue.