All Kids 'Reaches For The Stars'

By Amy Hart in News on Nov 16, 2005 7:05PM

Governor Blagojevich signed his ambitious yet much maligned All Kids health insurance program into law yesterday.

As Blago explains on the new All Kids website:

The All Kids program will offer Illinois’ uninsured children comprehensive health care that includes doctor’s visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care and medical devices like eyeglasess and asthma inhalers. Parents will pay monthly premiums for the coverage, but rates for middle-income families will be significantly lower than they are on the private market. For instance, a family of four that earns between $40,000 and $59,999 a year will pay a $40 monthly premium per child, and a $10 co-pay per physician visit.

All Kids is the most sweeping plan to handle uninsured children launched by any state, and other governors and health care experts have taken notice.

Upon signing the bill yesterday, Blago said the plan “reaches for the stars,” which leaves Chicagoist sad yet hopeful. We are happy to see somebody try to offer help for the over 250,000 uninsured children in Illinois, but it is a bit depressing that the very idea of helping children in this way is thought to be so revolutionary.

Critics are still saying All Kids is a political ploy by Blago to boost his ailing approval numbers, and that may very well be true. But if it does succeed, then does the motivation behind it matter?

Although All Kids will not go into effect until July 1, 2006, information on enrolling can be found at the All Kids website.