Ill. Senate Passes Kids’ Health Bill

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s plan to provide health insurance to all children in Illinois passed the Senate yesterday and is poised for vote in the Illinois House today during a short-term veto session.

The Senate voted 32-23 to approve the bill.

The program takes aim at the estimated 253,000 uninsured children up to the age of 19 whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicare or the KidCare program. Deductibles and premiums would be based on income.

Blagojevich believes about 50,000 people will sign up in the program’s first year at a cost of $45 million. It will be funded by moving most of the state’s 1.7 million Medicaid enrollees into a managed-care style of health insurance, which officials say will save $56 million.

However, Republican opponents complained about the legislation’s lack of specificity and the state’s own tight budget as potential problems.

If approved in the House today, the program will go into effect during July.

Topics Illinois Politics