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Home>Health Insurance> Ill. Gov. Blagojevich Lobbies Congressional Lawmakers, Governors To Expand Child
Ill. Gov. Blagojevich Lobbies Congressional Lawmakers, Governors To Expand Child
Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich (D) on Monday traveled to Washington, D.C., to promote All Kids, a new health insurance program for children in the state, and lobby for improved health coverage for children nationwide, the Chicago Tribune reports (Dorning, Chicago Tribune, 12/13). All Kids, enacted on Nov. 15, will allow parents of uninsured Illinois children to pay a monthly income-based premium for health insurance that in most cases will cost less than private health coverage (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/16). All Kids will begin in July 2006. Blagojevich on Monday met with other Democratic governors to discuss All Kids and spoke at a news conference organized by Families USA to lobby for improved health insurance for children nationwide. On Tuesday, Blagojevich will appear at the Capitol for the announcement of legislation that would provide states with subsidies to establish programs similar to All Kids (Chicago Tribune, 12/13). Blagojevich will promote the legislation with sponsors Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) (CQ HealthBeat, 12/12). "Every single child ought to have health care. If a child needs to go to a doctor, that child ought to be able to go to the doctor," Blagojevich said. He added that health insurance programs for children should target both middle-class and low-income families. "They work, and despite their best efforts, they cannot take their children to the doctors. That's not right in my view," Blagojevich said (Chicago Tribune, 12/13).
A webcast of Blagojevich's address at the Families USA event is available online.
"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . ?2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
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