Significant Drop in Uninsured Health Insurance Rate Among 18-64 Year Old Illinois Residents

CHICAGO – According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Illinois was among 8 states with statistically significant coverage gains among 18-64 year old residents. Between 2013 and 2015, the rate of uninsured among 18-64 year old Illinois residents decreased from 17.8% to the current rate of 10.6%. This 7.2% drop is one of the largest in the nation.

“This is a significant achievement in the State of Illinois’ coverage efforts, but more importantly this success presents a tremendous opportunity to continue to improve health outcomes and to lower the cost of health care delivery” said DOI Acting Director Anne Melissa Dowling. “We need to seize this opportunity to continue to engage and educate these newly covered populations about the benefits of coverage and how to effectively engage with the health system.”

More than 1 million Illinois residents have obtained health insurance coverage through the efforts of Get Covered Illinois (GCI) and the Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI).

The recent release of the Qualified Health Plans on the Marketplace by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated that 388,179 Illinois residents enrolled in a plan through the most recent open enrollment period. This number combined with the most recent release of information from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) indicating that there are now 626,248 Full Benefit ACA Medicaid Recipients across the state brings the total covered to 1,014,427 residents who are receiving life saving benefits.

The Illinois Department of Insurance wants to remind Illinoisans of the many benefits that having health coverage provides, subject to applicable policy terms:

          
• Coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services. For assistance on understanding health insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders contact the Office of Consumer Health Insurance (OCHI) toll-free at 1-877-527-9431.

• Free preventive services including counseling, screenings, women’s health services and vaccines to keep Illinois residents healthy and care for managing chronic disease; and

• Prescription drug coverage.