Problems with Illinois Medicaid Doom All Kids Program to Failure

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and the General Assembly took the first real step toward a universal health care program with the introduction of the Illinois All Kids Program, but the attempt at meaningful change in the medical system is doomed to fall flat. 

The new program is designed to allow any child to have access to health care. No matter what the parents’ income, if the parents’ aren’t able to provide health insurance and fill out the proper application with the state of Illinois, they can purchase health insurance for their children on a sliding scale fee. 

So far, that sounds great, right? Right. It’s what the press releases don’t say that will cause the problem to fail.
The slick ad and campaign speech presentations on the program neglect to tell potential clients that they will be purchasing a Illinois medical card for their child, not some form of private insurance. That medical care, more often known as Medicaid, is not widely accepted in Illinois anymore, largely due to some of the governor and state legislature’s other brilliant money-saving plans. 

Doctors, particularly specialists, have long been reluctant to take the Illinois medical card because the state of Illinois is not exactly making anyone rich with what they pay. Take, for example, a basic eye exam for glasses. The exam is in theory covered by the card as are a very basic pair of glasses. 

From the doctor’s standpoint, an exam for glasses is not something you can rush, usually taking about 15 minutes. For that time, if a doctor is charging a person cash or charging commercial insurance, at the eye center where I worked previously, the charge is $49. The state of Illinois sets a maximum amount they will pay for that service and anyone who accepts the medical card has to agree to take that price. Their price, $27.