Illinois Health Matters, April 14, 2008

Illinois Health Matters is a Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law newsletter that describes health care in Illinois through the stories of state residents. Our intent is to show the reality of health care in Illinois. Our hope is that this reality will help Illinois celebrate, use, and safeguard what is already good and drive Illinois toward constant improvement and health care for all.

We want your stories for Illinois Health Matters! We are extremely careful about your confidentiality and will always clear any of your information with you first before we use it. Please click here to share your story (or the story of someone you know) and we will follow up with you. You may also submit stories to: Melissa Cubria, direct line: 312.368.1168

CHRISTOPHER-Transitioning chronically ill kids to productive adulthood

Christopher received a kidney transplant in January of 2004. At the time, he was insured under Illinois' Kid Care program, which was later renamed All Kids after it was expanded. Christopher received wonderful care thanks to All Kids and made a full recovery. However, about 4 months ago, he turned 19 and aged out of the health insurance program. While today he is in excellent health, he still needs about $1000 worth of medications every month. No private insurance company will cover him because of his pre-existing condition. He wasn't able to get coverage through the university he was attending as a full-time student. Christopher and his family went through every option they could think of and nothing was even remotely affordable for them. Eventually, a woman advised Christopher to drop some classes and go to school part-time so that he could work full-time and get benefits from his employer. He recently found a job and will receive benefits after 30 days. Chris's new routine is very hard on him. He wants to be a "normal" 19 year old and focus on his education full-time but because he has a pre-existing condition that requires a lifetime of managed care and medications, he literally cannot afford to be uninsured. If the All Kids Bridge program had been implemented at the time that Christopher aged out of his All Kids insurance, he could have continued to receive the excellent care he received previously. All Kids Bridge is an administrative initiative that helps young people with chronic health conditions transition from All Kids to the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Program with subsidized premiums to provide continuous, affordable, comprehensive coverage. All Kids Bridge prevents a lapse in healthcare and ensures that premiums stay affordable for young people until their 21st birthday. Illinois must adopt the All Kids Bridge program so that young adults no longer face Christopher's same fate.  All Kids Bridge has been proposed by the Department of Insurance and is currently before the ICHIP board pending consideration and approval. 

JEFFREY-All Kids is what the doctor ordered

Jeffery, age 15, was uninsured when he first visited the pediatrician at the school based health clinic located in his high school. Jeffery was concerned because he was unusually short for his age. The doctor performed all the usual diagnostic tests, which are covered by the clinic regardless of the insurance status of the patient. However, because Jeffrey was abnormally short, the doctor wanted to perform a bone age X-ray to make sure there were no underlying medical conditions preventing him from growing. The clinic could not pay for the X-ray so the doctor helped Jeffrey fill out the All Kids application and had him bring it home to his parents who sent it in for approval. The application was processed quickly and Jeffrey received his medical card within weeks. The doctor performed the X-ray, covered by Illinois' All Kids program, and found no underlying medical conditions responsible for Jeffrey's slow growth. Thanks to strong, successful programs like All Kids, Jeffrey, and all children in Illinois, have access to comprehensive, affordable health coverage that gives them access to well-child visits and early diagnostic care. It helps young people take responsibility for their health care and gives them skills that will prepare them for healthy adulthood. Illinois residents should celebrate and support All Kids and recognize that it is the first program of its kind in the nation.  However, Jeffrey's story also reveals that parents, schools and health professionals should do a better job of enrolling children into the All Kids program earlier.