Hi, it's Brian Namey writing again from the
Democratic Governors Association (DGA). I wanted to share with you news of a first-of-its-kind program designed to provide health coverage for all kids that
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed into law yesterday.
Governor Blagojevich made Illinois the only state in the country to offer comprehensive health insurance to every child in the state. His landmark All Kids plan became law yesterday and will go into effect July 1, 2006.
Hi, it's Brian Namey writing again from the
Democratic Governors Association (DGA). I wanted to share with you news of a first-of-its-kind program designed to provide health coverage for all kids that
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed into law yesterday.
Governor Blagojevich made Illinois the only state in the country to offer comprehensive health insurance to every child in the state. His landmark All Kids plan became law yesterday and will go into effect July 1, 2006.
Participants in Governor Blagojevich's new program will pay low monthly premiums and co-payments for medical visits and prescription drugs, but, unlike private insurance that is too expensive for many families, the rates for All Kids coverage will be based on family incomes. On the private market, health insurance for children can easily cost a prohibitive $3,000 per year. This bill allows Illinois to leverage the significant negotiating and buying power it already has and offer insurance coverage at much lower rates. For example, a family with two children that earns between 40,000 and $59,000 a year will pay a $40 monthly premium per child and a family with two kids earning between $60,000 and $79,000 will pay a $70 monthly premium per child.
Illinois will save more than $50 million each year in current Medicaid spending and use that money to cover the difference between what parents contribute in monthly premiums and the cost of providing health care for each child.
While the GOP Congress tries to cut health care funding, many Democratic Governors are expanding health care coverage in their states. Democratic Governors are leaders in providing health insurance for children and implementing State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP). In 2004, the highest SCHIP growth rates were in Hawaii, Illinois, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming, with Democratic Governors leading four of the five top states.
DGA Chair New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson declared 2006 the Year of the Child and his legislative agenda contains initiatives to improve children's health - including immunizations for all New Mexico children, more eye and hearing exams and more frequent health screenings for children. Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is also a national leader in children's health care with 94 percent of all Iowa children having health insurance. Since entering office, Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm has enrolled nearly 50,000 additional children for health insurance through the Healthy Kids and MiCHILD programs.