Posted on 03/04/2007 7:06:43 PM PST by KevinDavis
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Sunday he’ll push for a complex plan that would make sure all Illinoisans can obtain health insurance within the next three years.
Under his “Illinois Covered” plan, the state’s 1.4 million uninsured adults could enroll in government health services, get help paying for private coverage or buy insurance under a new program the state would require insurers to join.
People making up to four times the federal poverty level could qualify. That’s an annual income of about $40,000 for one person and $80,000 for a family of four. The more people earn, the less state assistance they could get.
“If you can have health care but your neighbor can’t ... that isn’t how God intended it to be,” Blagojevich said Sunday from the steps of a downtown Chicago church. “At the heart of our plan is one simple idea. And that is that everyone, everyone, should have access to affordable, quality health care.”
Aides said the first phase of the program, if approved by lawmakers, would start in January 2008. All parts of Illinois Covered would be up and running in January 2010. It would cost the state more than $2 billion a year when fully implemented, they estimated.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailyherald.com ...
Choices never go down for the "elite." You can bet that Bloomberg, Blago, Daley, and Oprah will not be on any waiting lists.
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