All Kids Offers Comprehensive Health Coverage to All Illinois Children

Recognizing the importance of staying healthy to be happy and succeed in school, Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s new All Kids program extends comprehensive health coverage at low cost to all children in Illinois. The first comprehensive health coverage program of its kind in the country, All Kids covers half of the 253,000 uninsured children in Illinois.

While nearly half of the uninsured children in Illinois are eligible for Medicaid, the other half are typically from working and middle-class families. These families do not qualify for public health programs; nor can they afford the high cost of private insurance. They make anywhere from $40,000 to $80,000 a year, live all over the state, and lack health coverage for their children. A majority of these children do not receive preventive health care, and many do not regularly visit a doctor. They are six times as likely to go without treatment for serious medical issues and are nine times more likely to be hospitalized for a preventable problem.

When an uninsured child is hospitalized and the bills go unpaid, those costs are eventually taken on by the insured. Families USA estimates that this form of cost shifting will likely cause an estimated $1,059 increase in family premiums this year. Families who participate in All Kids pay monthly premiums that range from $15 or $30 for families with incomes of $0 to $40,000 to over $150 for families with incomes over $100,000. Affordable copays for doctor visits and prescriptions are charged.

Current estimates project that the state’s first year costs will total $45 million. The program will be funded by nearly $56 million in savings from implementing the primary case management model used in 29 other states. In this managed care model, enrollees choose a primary physician for preventive care and disease management to help avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

All Kids has the support of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, House Speaker Mike Madigan, State Senate President Emil Jones, and hundreds of community organizations, churches, and medical provider groups. All Kids takes effect on July 1, 2006. For more information, visit www.allkidscovered.com.