Illinois Governor Announces Expansion of Healthcare Program

In order to better meet the health care needs of Illinois’s low income families, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced last month that eligibility for the FamilyCare program will be opened to families earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Effective immediately, the program is expanding adult income standards and establishing new rebate requirements and other procedures.

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The expansion of Illinois’s low-income health program comes at a significant time—when the health care needs of millions of Americans, particularly children, veterans, and seniors, is a contentious issue among federal legislators as well as within states. According to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Governor Blagojevich’s program reform will increase access to health care for 147,000 uninsured parents. The income limit, now raised to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, currently equals $82,600 for a family of four—increased from the current 185 percent of the federal poverty level, an annual income limit of $38,202 for a family of four. Parents must be uninsured to qualify for the expansion or meet an exception, such as losing health care coverage as a result of a job loss.

What is FamilyCare?
FamilyCare offers health care coverage to parents living with their children 18 years old or younger. FamilyCare also covers relatives who are caring for children in place of their parents. FamilyCare covers doctor visits, limited dental care, hospital services, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, and more. For more information, see http://www.familycareillinois.com/.