Illinois Health Care

The illustrious Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, has been holding the state legislature hostage to special sessions in an attempt to force them to include a new comprehensive health care plan in the states budget. He has all but said until he gets that, he will not allow the members of the House and Senate to return home for the summer.

Contrary to what the press is reporting, there is a budget on the plate; the Illinois House has already passed a budget but Senate President Emil Jones has so far refused to call it for a vote. In addition, the legislature has already overwhelmingly rejected the Governors Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) on businesses.

So in order to help the stalemate, I have a proposal for a health plan to cover those not currently insured.

1. If you do not currently have health insurance, you can sign up for a state financed plan provided the following conditions are met:

A. You are gainfully employed, or if you are not currently employed you must have not been fired for cause from your previous employment.

B. The State of Illinois will only cover you for up to 18 months, at which time you will have to either receive insurance from your employer or have made arrangements to purchase private insurance.

C. You will have an out of the pocket maximum of $7,500.00; comparable to many existing insurance plans currently offered in the private sector.

D. Your premiums will be based upon your annual household income.

E. ER visits will require a co-pay of $200.00.

F. Office visits will require a co-pay of $30.00.

G. all other charges will be handled on an 80/20 split.

H. You must enroll in and pass a money management course, which among other things teaches you how to manage your income vs. expenses and how to plan for unplanned expenditures.

I. You will only be allowed to enroll in the state program twice, with no less than an 18 month break between the two.

Ok, there you have it, those are the basics of my plan, is it perfect? Hell no, is it cheap? No again, but it does provide a bridge for those without coverage and with the time limits it forces people to make responsible choices as to their own lives. Pick it apart, but one thing I would not be willing to compromise on is the time limits, or the limitations regarding the employment.