AARP commends opening of enrollment for 'Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan'

Approximately 5,000 will benefit from High Risk Pool

Statement from AARP Illinois Senior State Director Bob Gallo

Countless Americans of all ages have been blocked from health care coverage by private insurers because of pre-existing conditions, leaving them uninsured and at risk of both health and financial disasters. One of the most important provisions of the new federal health care law is the creation of Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs, or High-Risk Pools) which will help many individuals get the coverage they need.

Today, Illinois has taken a step in the right direction by announcing that open enrollment for the Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (IPXP) will begin on August 20. The program will provide health care coverage for approximately 5,000 uninsured Illinoisans, paying for comprehensive benefits, hospital care and prescription drugs until the health care law fully kicks in 2014 and nobody can be denied coverage on the basis of health.

Although the program cannot cover every uninsured Illinoisan, it will provide important relief for many of those who have had the hardest time buying affordable health care coverage.

On behalf of our 1.7 million Illinois members, AARP commends the State for taking the necessary steps to help uninsured individuals get the coverage they need, and joins the Illinois Department of Insurance in urging the public to help make sure friends, relatives and loved ones who are uninsured apply for the program.