An Illinois state task force has floated a new universal health coverage plan which would, among other things, potentially require all state residents to purchase health insurance. The plan, which would cover an additional 1.5 million uninsured state residents, would cost the state and employers more than $5 billion per year. The overall plan also calls for other reforms, including expanding public healthcare programs, reforming private insurance and guaranteeing the availability of medical coverage to state residents. In return, residents would be required to buy health coverage from employers, public programs or on their own, or alternatively, pay a penalty. Subsidies would help lower-income residents buy coverage or pay premiums; residents earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $80,000 for a family of four, would be eligible. Employers, for their part, would be required to carry health insurance or pay an assessment to a fund set up to pay for the new initiative.
Find out more about the plan:
- read this Chicago Tribune article