Health-care access expansion decision on hold

SPRINGFIELD - A bipartisan panel of lawmakers wants to hear what Gov. Rod Blagojevich has to say about state government's finances before it decides whether to approve rules implementing his proposal to expand health-care access. The panel, known as the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, met Wednesday but postponed until Feb. 26 its consideration of rules dealing with a larger Family Care program. The governor's desired expansion would add 147,000 Illinoisans to the program, which allows uninsured parents or guardians to qualify for discounted medical treatment. "The (governor's) budget address is on the 20th," said Sen. Dan Rutherford, a Chenoa Republican who is on JCAR. "We're going to just stop everything and wait until the 26th a