Advocates endorse governor's health insurance plan for kids
Republicans question timing

CHICAGO - While Gov. Rod Blagojevich bragged Thursday that more than 200 advocacy groups had endorsed his plan to guarantee health insurance for all the state's children, Republicans accused him of trying to ram through the proposal for political advantage.

”My first reaction to the plan is there must be a campaign coming up,“ said state Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley.

Speaking alongside Blagojevich at a rally in Chicago, representatives of educational, religious and medical groups said such a proposal was long overdue. They vowed to help the governor push it through the Legislature during the fall veto session.

”This is the right thing to do, this is the smart thing to do, this is the just thing to do,“ said Juan Salgado of the Institute for Latino Progress. ”We're prepared to do whatever is necessary to move this forward.“

The plan, first announced last week, would offer state-subsidized insurance for children of families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid-funded health programs but not enough to afford private insurance.

It would cover 125,000 children and cost $45 million the first year, according to the governor's office. The state would pay for it with savings from Medicaid by moving some of those patients into managed care plans.

”While the goal is laudable ... if you take a look at the thresholds the governor has set in regards to income, with no asset qualifications, it really creates a problem for the state from a fiscal standpoint,“ said Sen. Brad Burzynski, R-Clare. ”Even the report the administration commissioned says it's going to cost the state a considerable amount of money in the first year to switch to managed care. The savings to the state are in the outlying years.“

Sen. Dale Righter, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, questioned the governor's estimated price tag for the plan.

”There's a concern here that his numbers aren't anywhere close to reliable,“ Righter, of Mattoon, said. ”This plan would be a huge change in state policy and has the potential to add hundreds of millions of dollars in obligations to the state in just a few years.“

Pritchard and Burzynski said the governor should pay off the state's current Medicaid debts before adding another program.

”We're $1.5 billion behind in Medicaid payments,“ Pritchard said. ”Our clinics here in DeKalb are unable to take new Medicaid patients, and they're at risk for having to take out loans and raise fees because the state is a deadbeat. Why don't we pay them first?“

Righter said Republicans were more than willing to consider ways to offer health insurance coverage to more children. But Blagojevich, who is expected to announce later this year that he will run for re-election in 2006, drew up his plan without sufficient analysis or discussion, Righter said.

”Rushing it through was by design,“ he said. ”People will be afraid to vote against it (at the upcoming fall session) because they don't want to be portrayed as being against kids.“

The veto session starts Oct. 25.

Thursday's rally at the Chicago Children's Museum was part of a two-week, statewide blitz to promote the plan, which Blagojevich said would make health insurance more widely available.

”With a relatively small investment, in a state budget of more than $50 billion, we can give every single child in Illinois access to affordable and comprehensive health insurance,“ he said.

Advocacy groups agreed.

”This (proposal) should be the baseline for all children across America,“ said Jim Jones of ChildServ, a Chicago-based children's services group.

Brad Copple, administrator at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, said the proposal has merit from a provider standpoint.

”Generally speaking, we're always in favor of a plan that's going to create or enhance access to health care,“ he said. ”Especially when you're talking about children. There are so many things that can be dealt with in the pediatric population to avoid creating more serious problems in adults.“

Daily Chronicle Staff Writer Dana Herra contributed to this report.

State's biggest medical groups yet to back plan

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois' two largest medical associations have not endorsed Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to guarantee health insurance for all the state's children.

The Illinois Hospital Association and the Illinois State Medical Society said Thursday they do not know enough about the proposed All Kids program.

”What we don't have yet is a sufficient understanding of the mechanics, how it will work and how it will be implemented,“ said Howard Peters, vice president of the hospital association. ”We haven't taken a position that we endorse the plan because, at this point, we really don't have enough information or understanding of the details.“

Representatives of more than 200 other educational, religious and medical groups joined Blagojevich at a rally in Chicago on Thursday to offer their support for the proposal.

Blagojevich's office said it has provided detailed information to any group that has asked, and the administration is scheduling meetings to further explain the plan to some groups.

”Our plan was unveiled a week ago, and some groups may still be reviewing the details and contacting members before taking a formal position,“ said Abby Ottenhoff, a spokeswoman for the governor.

The plan would offer state-subsidized insurance for children of families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid-funded health programs but not enough to afford private insurance. It would cover 125,000 children and cost $45 million the first year, according to the governor's office.