Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich introduced a new program to provide healthcare for uninsured children, which some critics are calling a model for other states. Blagojevich's "All Kids" program will fund insurance for kids from middle-income families earning between $40,000 and $80,000, a group which experts say earns too much to qualify for traditional forms of government assistance but too little to comfortably afford insurance. The idea drew praise from some health policy experts, who say the program is the first of its kind. Some fiscal conservatives, however, are opposed, saying extending government benefits to people who can afford to pay for them is an open invitation to fraud.
- see this article from the Houston Chronicle