Gov. Blagojevich Proclaims Cover the Unisured Week in Illinois

Press Release

Gov. Blagojevich proclaims Cover the Uninsured Week in Illinois

Top officials join families and healthcare providers in Rockford to highlight urgent need for the Governor's Illinois Covered plan

15% of adults in Winnebago County are uninsured; thousands more struggle to pay skyrocketing health insurance costs

Illinois Covered plan would give every Illinoisan access to affordable health coverage and mean $58 million in new funding for Rockford area healthcare providers

Continuing his fight to ensure access to healthcare for all Illinoisans, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today proclaimed April 23 to 29 Cover the Uninsured Week in Illinois to highlight the struggle of the 1.4 million adults in Illinois who are uninsured. The Governor's Illinois Covered plan will provide access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance to those uninsured adults and will help many middle-income families and small businesses that are currently enrolled in health insurance plans save thousands of dollars a year on healthcare costs. It would also mean nearly $1.7 billion in new funding for hospitals and healthcare providers around the state. Top Blagojevich officials joined families and healthcare providers in Rockford today to stress the urgent need for the Governor's Illinois Covered plan.

"While strong forces in Washington and in our own state put up excuses for why we're better off just leaving working families uninsured, we know that's not right," said Gov. Blagojevich. "Our Illinois Covered plan gives families the opportunity to live the American Dream - to live longer, healthier, and fuller lives. Families, doctors, and hospitals from around the state have endorsed our plan, and as Cover the Uninsured Week goes on across the country, I urge every Illinoisan to take action and join us in our fight to make healthcare the top priority for Illinois."

Cover the Uninsured Week is observed in cities and states across the nation. Organized by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, it brings together business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to demand that the nation's leaders find solutions for the nearly 47 million Americans living without health insurance.

Governor Blagojevich's Special Healthcare Advocate Dick Kay and Doug Scott, Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, joined families, advocates, and healthcare officials in Rockford today to call attention to challenges facing the uninsured, and to build support for a long-term solution.

"Last year, Governor Blagojevich made a promise to clean up mercury from our environment to improve the health of every Illinoisan. It was an ambitious plan that many said could not be done, but today we have one of the most stringent mercury reduction programs in the United States," said Doug Scott, Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. "Now is the time to build on that progress and help deliver another promise to help every uninsured person in Rockford and throughout the state get access to the healthcare."

The cost of healthcare is rising dramatically nationwide, leaving more and more people uninsured, and forcing businesses to drop or significantly cut back coverage. As a result of faster-than-inflation rate increases, the number of uninsured nationally has increased by 6 million since 2000. The cost of providing health services to uninsured people puts significant pressure on families, the healthcare system and the state's economy: In Winnebago County, where Rockford is located, over 15% of residents do not have health coverage.

The Governor's plan will help protect citizens like Jerry Minor of Loves Park. Jerry has health insurance but his coverage costs over 40 percent of the family income. Recently, Jerry went without insurance for two years after he was rejected twice from his wife's plan for having preexisting conditions. Jerry also owns a janitorial service, but because of the high cost of health insurance, he is unable to offer insurance benefits to his employees.

"After having spent two years without health insurance because I was rejected for preexisting conditions, I know the stress of worrying about how I would pay for something as simple as a doctors visit," said Mr. Minor. "Under Illinois Covered I will be able to get good affordable coverage, even with my preexisting conditions."

Under Gov. Blagojevich, Illinois has expanded access to healthcare to over 560,000 more people, and became the first state in the nation to provide access to comprehensive health insurance to every uninsured child in the state through "All Kids." As a result, the Kaiser Family Foundation ranked Illinois #1 in the nation for adding working parents to healthcare for 3 years in a row, and credited Illinois for sparking a national movement to provide healthcare to all children.

While the Governor's "All Kids" plan, which took effect last year, extended coverage to all children in the state, approximately 1.4 million adults in Illinois are currently uninsured. A majority, roughly 75 percent, are from families with moderate incomes. The Governor's "Illinois Covered" plan will provide affordable coverage to the uninsured and will also help many middle-income families and small businesses that are currently enrolled in health insurance plans save thousands a year on healthcare costs. The plan will also reform the existing healthcare system to improve quality and require more accountability.

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