A Move Towards Universal Health Care

Health Care Justice Act:

In 2004 the Illinois General Assembly passed the Health Care Justice Act (Public Act 93-0973, HB 2268). The legislation established an “Adequate Health Care Task Force” with 29 voting members -- five appointed by the Governor, and six appointments by each of the four leaders of the General Assembly (the Speaker of the House, the House Minority Leader, the President of the Senate and the Senate Minority Leader) and charged the Task Force with making recommendations for achieving universal health care coverage for all Illinois residents. . The Adequate Health Care Task Force issued its final report on January 26, 2007. Under the Task Force’s recommended "Health Care Coverage Expansion Model" all Illinois residents (with very limited exceptions) would be required to obtain health care coverage and those under 400% FPL would have subsidized coverage options available to them. The Model expected that all employers would contribute to the health care costs of their workers. Employers could meet this obligation either by providing a voluntary health insurance plan or by paying an amount to the state that is scaled to wages. The proposal also included changes to insurance regulations that are designed to spread risk, stabilize premiums and reduce administrative costs for all Illinoisans. http://www.idph.state.il.us/hcja/index.htm

Illinois Covered (SB5):

Gov. Blagojevich crafted the “Illinois Covered plan,” introduced in the spring legislative session of 2007. Illinois Covered (SB5) was based on the Task Force’s recommendations.  It would offer public coverage to low-income individuals.  It also aimed to provide affordable coverage to the uninsured. It would have also helped many middle-income families and small businesses that were currently enrolled in health insurance plans save thousands a year on healthcare costs through various subsidy programs. The plan also sought to reform the existing healthcare system to improve quality and require more accountability. Illinois Covered (SB5) did not pass the Senate due to the unpopularity of the funding source. SB 5 supporters believe that SB 5 is just one vote short of Senate passage—28 Senators have said they support the bill; 29 votes are needed for passage.  As of November 2007 most advocacy efforts have centered on the Senate; when/if SB 5 passes the Senate and goes to the House, advocates will need to work hard to educate House members about the bill and about the need for the reforms it offers.  www.illinoiscovered.com

Governor’s Administrative Initiatives:

In the meantime, with SB 5 stalled in the Senate, the Governor has used his executive authority to expand health coverage.  The Governor has said the following: “Unfortunately, the Illinois General Assembly failed to act on expanding access to healthcare this session. In the face of that inaction, I am using my executive authority to expand healthcare to over 500,000 more Illinoisans.”  As a result, in the summer of 2007, Gov. Blagojevich announced that he planned to use his executive authority to implement five initiatives, some of which were part of Illinois Covered (SB5). They are:

1.      FamilyCare Expansion

2.      All Kids Bridge

3.      Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP)

4.      Assist Primary Care, Rx, Hospital: This program would provide a medical home, prescription drugs and hospital reimbursements for those without access under 100% of the Federal Poverty Level

5.      Working Families Premium Assistance: Under this program premium assistance would be provided to all individuals and families up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, regardless of their age and eligibility under current Medicaid law.