Ill. Gov. to Unveil Kids’ Health Plan

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to unveil a proposal Thursday to subsidize health insurance for 253,000 uninsured children in Illinois.

Seventy-percent of the state’s uninsured children belong to families that earn $40,000 to $80,000 a year — too much to qualify for government programs but often too little to afford private insurance.

Under the “All Kids” proposal, endorsed by the leaders of both houses of the state legislature, a family of four earning $40,000 to $59,000 would pay $40 per month per child and $10 per doctor visit.

If the measure becomes law, the Blagojevich administration hopes to enroll 50,000 children the first year at a cost of $45 million.

Other states, including Massachusetts, have talked of extending health care to all children but would not provide as much coverage, according to Blagojevich’s office.

The numbers of uninsured remains high in Illinois, despite the fact that 370,000 more people have health insurance now than when Blagojevich took office in 2003. One in eight children in Cook County, home to Chicago, has no health coverage. The proportion in far southern Illinois is higher.

Topics Illinois