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Illinois To Unveil
Insurance Program
By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 6, 2005; Page A03
CHICAGO, Oct. 5 -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will unveil a proposal
Thursday to subsidize health insurance for 253,000 uninsured children
in Illinois, a move that specialists describe as more far-reaching than
any other program in the country.
Seventy-percent of the state's uninsured children belong to families
that earn $40,000 to $80,000 a year -- too much to qualify for
government programs but often too little to afford private insurance.
Under Blagojevich's All Kids proposal, endorsed by the leaders of both
houses of the state legislature, a family of four earning $40,000 to
$59,000 would pay $40 per month per child and $10 per doctor visit.
If the measure becomes law, the Blagojevich administration hopes to
enroll 50,000 children the first year at a cost of $45 million.
"Who is falling through the cracks?" asked Barry Maram, director of the
Department of Healthcare and Family Services. "The people at poverty
levels are often covered, and the people who are making a relatively
substantial income are covered through their employer or health
insurance they've obtained."
Diane Rowland, who studies the uninsured for the Kaiser Family
Foundation, credited Blagojevich with making health coverage a "huge
priority."
Other states, including Massachusetts, have talked of extending health
care to all children but would not provide as much coverage, according
to Blagojevich's office.
The numbers of uninsured remains high in Illinois, despite the fact
that 370,000 more people have health insurance now than when
Blagojevich took office in 2003. One in eight children in Cook County,
home to Chicago, has no health coverage. The proportion in far southern
Illinois is higher.
"Our plan is based on a very simple principle: Everyone needs health
care, and every child should have a way to get the care they need,"
said Blagojevich, who is expected to run for a second term next year.
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