The State of Illinois is about to make changes to the eligibility guidelines for their All Kids Medicaid Program. The changes would leave about 4,000 children in Illinois, many of whom are seriously ill, and completely without insurance coverage. The purpose of the change is to help Illinois balance the budget.
Illinois, like many other states, is having a budget crisis. The state has been trying to make cuts in an effort to balance their budget. In February of 2012, Governor Pat Quinn unveiled a budget proposal that would cut the state of Illinois’ contribution toward health insurance benefits for retired school teachers. Part of the reason the retired teachers were targeted was because the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program funding was ending, which meant that Illinois would have to pick up the cost on its own.
For some reason, whenever a state has a budget crisis, what happens next is that the state starts making cuts to its Medicaid program. It pulls funding away from the people who are the least able to afford health insurance, and therefore, health care.
Illinois has a program called All Kids Medicaid Program. As the name implies, it is for children who need comprehensive, affordable, health insurance, regardless of their immigration status or health condition. The website for this program says: “Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy”.
It seems that some lawmakers in Illinois don’t really think that “all” kids deserve the chance to grow up healthy. Starting on July 1, 2012, there will be a change made to the eligibility requirements of the All Kids Medicaid Program.
Families that make 300% above the poverty level will no longer be eligible to put their children into this health care program. That percentage equates to about $60,000 for a family of four. The result is that 4,300 children in Illinois will suddenly be completely without health insurance. Many of these children have cancer, or other serious health conditions. Parents, or caregivers, of these children will soon be forced to figure out how to pay for the cost of things like chemotherapy, prescription medications, and hospital visits without the help from the All Kids program.
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act will officially begin (unless the Supreme Court decides otherwise). If the state of Illinois waits two years, and finds some other way to balance their budget in the meantime, it could potentially avoid dropping thousands of sick kids from the only health insurance option that they have.
Image by Carol Cotter on Flickr