Despite having great struggles with Government Health funding, Almost 87 percent of the residents in Illinois have some sort of Health Insurance coverage. Nevertheless, there is a significant percentage of residents (almost 13%) that have no Health Insurance Coverage, and with the poor Public Health funding Health Care for this percentage of the population is not accessible and not cheap. The State Authorities need to revise, encourage and offer more policies to make access to health Insurance better for Illinois citizens.

The percentage of Illinois employers that offer some sort of health benefits plan to its employees could also be raise within the state, as currently only half of Illinois employers offer Health Insurance to its employees. 82% of these workers take advantage of the Health Insurance plans being offered.

One of the good things that might help this state is the fact that Health Care, if needed, is very accessible. Primary care physicians are abundant and almost 9 out of 10 residents in Illinois could get medical care if needed. Federally Qualified Health Centers are a big help as well, serving almost one quarter of all residents under de 200% FPL.

If you are interested in getting a Health Insurance plan, you can check the site of the Illinois Division of Insurance. You can find information on Health Insurance Plans and coverage, and also a list of licensed companies and agents that can offer you health insurance. If coverage has been denied for you in the past, you can also visit Illinois’ ICHIP site, which works with funds of premiums collected and state general funds.

Health Information:

Health Ranking:  #31
State Health Department Web Site: http://www.idph.state.il.us/

Overall Healthiness in Illinois has been slightly decreasing over the past few years. In 2008, it was ranked as the 28th healthiest state in the country according to America’s Health Ranking. This is the first time in a couple years that Illinois has fallen into the 30s in the ranking. There are some key Health issues that Illinois has to work on to revert the current tendencies and regain healthiness.

Illinois needs to increase its public health funding. If they manage to have good funding and accessible care, the incidence of the population that lack health insurance coverage can go down. Illinois needs to work on achieving a healthy lifestyle that leads to effective preventable health measures. This will mean healthier and happier residents, and less unnecessary health expenses.

Health Highlights

• Illinois takes good care of its workers. The occupational fatalities percentage is low at only at 4.2 deaths per 100,000 workers.


• The state also has one of the biggest ratios of primary care physicians in the nation, with almost 130 physicians available for every 100,000 people in Illinois.


• People in Illinois usually feel good, both mentally and physically. The state has few poor mental and physical health days per month at 3.1 days and 3.4 days, respectively, in the previous 30 days.


• One of the biggest highlights of this state in the past year is the decrease of the infant mortality rate, which is now at 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. The percentage of children in poverty has also been reduced drastically in the past years, a great thing.

Health Weaknesses

• The percentage of complete immunization coverage has reduced from 79.8 percent to 76.9 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations.


• One of the main health struggles of this state is the of prevalence of binge drinkers in the state. The percentage of drinkers has gone up 1.4% from last year, making Illinois the 4th worst in the nation.


• Illinois is a violent state. The violent crime rate is now one of the 10 highest within the United States, with 533 offenses per 100,000 population.


• Public health funding is in the Nation's bottom 15, with only $57/person. The efficiency of Illinois’ health system needs to be improved, as well as the accessibility.


• Preventable Health risk factors, such as Air pollution, along with cardiovascular and cancer-related deaths also need to be looked upon.

Illinois Health Insurance Quotes

In order to save on health insurance in Illinois and find the best match for your personal coverage needs, you need more information than any one health insurance company can provide. You need to be able to review quotes from a broad range of Illinois health insurance companies and see how their plan rates and benefits stack up. That is why we enable you to choose from a broad range of insurance companies and health insurance plans available in Illinois.

Illinois health insurance news

As a resident of Illinois, it’s always important to be informed of the latest events and news regarding Health Insurance in your state. Here are some of the latest headlines that mention Health Care and Health Insurance related topics for Illinois:

Illinois Office of Insurance Regulation and Department of Health

If you have any additional questions or need special assistance, feel free to visit or contact Illinois’ Division of Insurance and Department of Public Health directly:

Illinois Division of Insurance
320 W. Washington Street
Springfield, IL 62767-0001
Phone: (217) 782-4515
Fax: (217) 782-5020
http://www.idfpr.com/DOI/Default2.asp

Illinois Department of Public Health
535 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL 62761
Phone: (217) 782-4977
http://www.idph.state.il.us/