Yet another Illinois botched program
Who in his right mind would be against health insurance for every child in Illinois?
Certainly none of the politicians, health care providers, labor unions and special interests that in 2005 so enthusiastically bought into then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's All Kids program. Certainly not tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, the major beneficiaries of the program. From Citizen Action/Illinois to the Illinois Hospital Association, from the Chicago Teachers Union to the Peruvian Cultural Center, they all hailed it as some kind of nirvana.
They were wrong. Now, five years later, All Kids has turned into just another government botch of a program that has failed to meet expectations. Except for its costs. Those, of course, wildly exceeded expectations. And helped state finances circle the drain.
Beyond the bureaucratic muddle, blame Blagojevich and the Democratic-controlled legislature for perhaps the biggest problem with the law: Its cheap, comprehensive health care is a magnet for illegal immigrants to come to Illinois. According to the audit, about 75 percent of All Kids enrollees are classified as illegal immigrants. The cost of covering them comes to almost $55 million. This, it will be pointed out, is a drop in the bucket in a state budget that is running up an astonishing $13 billion deficit.
Certainly none of the politicians, health care providers, labor unions and special interests that in 2005 so enthusiastically bought into then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's All Kids program. Certainly not tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, the major beneficiaries of the program. From Citizen Action/Illinois to the Illinois Hospital Association, from the Chicago Teachers Union to the Peruvian Cultural Center, they all hailed it as some kind of nirvana.
They were wrong. Now, five years later, All Kids has turned into just another government botch of a program that has failed to meet expectations. Except for its costs. Those, of course, wildly exceeded expectations. And helped state finances circle the drain.
Beyond the bureaucratic muddle, blame Blagojevich and the Democratic-controlled legislature for perhaps the biggest problem with the law: Its cheap, comprehensive health care is a magnet for illegal immigrants to come to Illinois. According to the audit, about 75 percent of All Kids enrollees are classified as illegal immigrants. The cost of covering them comes to almost $55 million. This, it will be pointed out, is a drop in the bucket in a state budget that is running up an astonishing $13 billion deficit.
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