Waiting Period for Coverage of Pre-existing Conditions Removed in Illinois Program for ‘Uninsurables’
Gov. George Ryan (R) signed into law on May 1 a bill that eliminates a six-month delay of coverage of pre-existing conditions for some new enrollees in the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, a state-subsidized program for "uninsurable" individuals. The Peoria Journal Star reports that the new law waives the waiting period for individuals who "lost their previous private coverage" when their insurer "went out of business" (Peoria Journal Star, 5/2). "CHIP" -- not to be confused with the joint state-federal Children's Health Insurance Program -- covers individuals whose catastrophic illnesses "make them uninsurable by private providers" and offers "dramatically reduced premiums" and coverage until their lifetime bills exceed $1 million (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 11/21/00). The Journal Star reports that the law came in response to the "plight" of about 200 families that had individual policies with Illinois Health Care Insurance Co., which went "into liquidation ... in July, and the families' coverage was to be terminated this year from April through August" (Peoria Journal Star, 5/2).
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