Illinois Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Illinois?

Illinois was ranked 29th of the 50 states in the 2009 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The state's best ranking was again for its low incidence of occupational fatalities. Illinois was ranked 9th in the nation with 3.8 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to the national average of 4.8.
• The prevalence of smoking – while slightly increased from 2008 – is still on a downward trend over the past 10 years.

The bad news:

• The percentage of children in poverty climbed dramatically – by 35 percent – in the past year.
• Only three states were ranked worse for the prevalence of binge drinking and the prevalence of obesity has steadily risen form 10.9 percent to 26.8 percent of the population since 1990.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Occupational fatalities – 9th
• Primary care physicians – 11th
• High school graduation – 17th
• Violent crime – 40th
• Air pollution – 42nd
• Preventable hospitalizations – 42nd
• 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

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Illinois will offer health coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Illinois's participation, click here.

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 pool to 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. Read more about risk pools 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.

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in Illinois

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for Illinois.

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.