Illinois Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Illinois?

It's improved. Illinois climbed four spots – from 31st to 27th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The percentage of children in poverty in Illinois decreased from 14.9 percent to 14.3 percent from the previous year.
• The state's best ranking was for the state's low incidence of occupational fatalities. Illinois was ranked 8th in the nation for the second year with 4.2 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to the national average of 5.2.
• The infant mortality rate has also dropped dramatically since 1990 – from 10.8 deaths to 7.2 per 1,000 live births.

The bad news:

• Only three states were ranked worse for the prevalence of binge drinking. The percentage of the Illinois population who binge drink increased from 18 percent in 2007 to 19.4 percent in 2008.
• The state's ranking for immunization coverage fell 10 spots to 42nd as the percent of immunized children ages 19-35 months also fell – from 79.8 percent to 76.9 percent in 2008.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Occupational fatalities – 8th
• Number of primary care physicians – 10th
• Violent crime – 40th
• Immunization coverage – 42nd
• Preventable hospitalizations – 42nd
• Air pollution – 44th
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 47th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Illinois.

Does Illinois have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan
Toll-free 1-866-851-2751 (in-state only) or (217) 782-6333

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Illinois

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Illinois and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Illinois.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Illinois

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Illinois.

Official State Goverment Sites with Illinois Health Insurance Information

State of Illinois Official Web Site -- Official government Web site.

All Kids Covered-- State program that offers health care coverage to children, pregnant women and their babies or helps in paying premiums of employer or private health insurance plans.

Health Care Information from the State of Illinois -- Resources that provide specific resources on Illinois health -- from Living in Illinois government Web site.

Illinois Cares -- RX help for senior citizens and the disabled in Illinois.

Illinois Advocacy for Health Care and Medical Insurance Issues

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan - Health care assistance for denial of insurance benefits, slow pay on claims, claims partially cancelled, etc. Campaign for Better Health Care An Illinois coalition working to create an accessible, quality health care system for all.

Champaign County Health Care Consumers, a non-profit, grassroots organization founded on the premise of participatory democracy and the belief that meaningful reforms in the health care system will come only with the active involvement of consumers." A model site for health reform activism and health care resources for the low-income uninsured.