Summary of Filed Health Plans & Rate Levels as of 10/31/14. The Health Insurance Reform Information Center is a forum for information on the recent national health insurance reform and its effects on Illinois. The Department will post fact sheets, legislation, and other useful material as it becomes available. Please check back routinely for updates.
The internal structure of the kidney is divided into two main areas... a light outer area called the renal cortex, and a darker inner area called the renal medulla. Within the medulla there are eight (8) or more cone-shaped sections known as renal pyramids.
The lighter-colored outer part of the kidney is the renal cortex. The darker inner part is the renal medulla. Blood is filtered in the renal cortex and medulla to form urine. Within the kidney, urine travels through many structures before it reaches the ureter. The renal medulla contains dark triangular areas of tissue called the renal pyramids. Urine flows through a renal pyramid and exits at the renal papilla, the tip. The renal papilla has collecting ducts, small openings that allow urine to pass through.