Illinois Health Insurance
A lot of people fear going without a form of Illinois health care in that state. Any day, a random injury can happen. A bone can break or something can fall on them, causing a concussion. Illness can strike, one that people have heard of or one that they haven’t at all. Illinois health insurance is people’s backup so the worst occur. Financial ruin won’t swamp them. But everyone can afford to pay for a form of Illinois health insurance and not everyone works a job in that job that offers Illinois health insurance benefits. And, sometimes, these people will scramble to get by and then get denied by an Illinois health insurance provider due to health issues. Luckily, the Illinois General Assembly created the Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) with such people in mind.
Section 7 of the CHIP Act provides Illinois health insurance coverage for Illinois residents who have been denied major medical coverage by private insurers because of their health. Meantime, Section 15 of the CHIP Act provides Illinois health insurance coverage pursuant to the individual portability requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and as a qualified plan for federally eligible individuals qualifying for federal Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) or the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC).
Needless to say, CHIP is not an insurance program. CHIP is a state program operated by a board of directors and is also subject to its own enabling Act and is neither an entitlement nor welfare program. You need to be eligible before enrolling and, once enrolled, you must continue meeting all eligibility requirements. If you fail to meet such requirements, you will be terminated from the program as of the date require by CHIP or state law.
Premiums paid by participants fund the Section 7 pool in part. Appropriations from the General Revenue Funds of the State of Illinois funds the reminder of the cost. Premiums paid by participants also fund the Section 15 pool in part with the reminder of the cost paid for by an assessment levied on all Illinois health insurance providers in the state.
Eligibility criteria for CHIP remain different from those for private Illinois health insurance and eligibility for the Section 7 pool differ from those of the Section 15 pool. To enroll under Section 7 you need to:
- Be a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident alien
- Be a permanent resident of the State of Illinois and have been so for the past 180 days and remain a permanent Illinois resident
- Must have applied to an Illinois health insurance company 9 months prior and been rejected or have not had your coverage renewed or can provide a letter from your physician stating you have what is considered a Presumptive Medical Condition, in which case a rejection letter isn’t needed.
Section 15 eligibility requirements involve:
- Be a US citizen or lawful permanent resident alien
- Be a permanent resident of the State of Illinois
- Have at least 18 months of prior creditable coverage
- Have no more than 90-day break between periods of creditable coverage
- Have had your recent creditable coverage under group health insurance, or provided by a health insurance issuer, a group health plan, or a governmental or church plan
- Electing or exhausting COBRA or other continuous coverage
- Not have any other Illinois health insurance coverage
- And have not had that coverage terminated because of lack of payment.
