New FamilyCare Income Guidelines

The following article appeared in the August 2004 issue of Illinois Welfare News.

The Illinois Department of Public Aid has confirmed that the effective date for the increase in eligibility for FamilyCare from 90 percent to 133 percent of the federal poverty level is September 1. The department intends to automatically enroll all the parents already on “spenddown” Medicaid that are within the new income guidelines—some 20,000 parents. This means that such parents, who currently pay an amount every month to meet their “spend-down” before they are covered by Medicaid, will now be covered without any charge.

As for additional enrollment, it is up to all of service providers and advocates. Please identify eligible families and encourage them to enroll.

The new income guidelines (by family size) are:

2 person: $16,612 (annual); $1,384 (monthly)
3 person: $20,841 (annual); $1,698 (monthly)
4 person: $25,071 (annual); $2,089 (monthly)
5 person: $29,300 (annual); $2,442 (monthly)
Details about FamilyCare enrollment are on the IDPA website at www.kidcareillinois.com. As Illinois Welfare News goes to press, the old income guidelines remain on the IDPA website (but it should change on or around September 1).
Stay tuned later in the year for action steps on the final year of the FamilyCare rollout—expansion to 185 percent of the poverty level in next year’s budget.