About 20 percent of Illinois' adults lack health insurance, with young people and minorities even less likely to have coverage, according to a new data analysis from a Chicago nonprofit.
Health & Disability Advocates has released an expanded interactive mapping tool that shows where uninsured Illinois residents live, highlighting who will be eligible to gain some form of coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The tool debuted last year but now includes more data points, such as gender, race and disability status by community area.
About 1.5 million Illinois residents ages 19 to 64 are uninsured, the analysis shows. Of those, about 281,000 — or 19 percent — are undocumented and won't be able to gain coverage.
Most of the uninsured live in Chicago and Cook County, the analysis found. Eligible residents could gain coverage in 2014 under the expanded Medicaid program or on the state's health insurance marketplace, where they can shop for health plans.
The federal government has awarded Illinois more than $115 million in funding to educate consumers about their health care options under the law, said Stephani Becker, director of Illinois Health Matters, an initiative of Health & Disability Advocates.
There's “a huge information gap to close” between now and Oct. 1, when people can begin shopping on the insurance exchange, she added.
“Most people don't know about (the law), and the people who it's going to benefit the most know about it even less,” she said.
Article By Claire Bushey ; Crain's Healthcare Daily : May 14, 2013
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130514/NEWS03/130519924/new-online-map-tracks-illinois-uninsured
Health & Disability Advocates has released an expanded interactive mapping tool that shows where uninsured Illinois residents live, highlighting who will be eligible to gain some form of coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The tool debuted last year but now includes more data points, such as gender, race and disability status by community area.
About 1.5 million Illinois residents ages 19 to 64 are uninsured, the analysis shows. Of those, about 281,000 — or 19 percent — are undocumented and won't be able to gain coverage.
Most of the uninsured live in Chicago and Cook County, the analysis found. Eligible residents could gain coverage in 2014 under the expanded Medicaid program or on the state's health insurance marketplace, where they can shop for health plans.
The federal government has awarded Illinois more than $115 million in funding to educate consumers about their health care options under the law, said Stephani Becker, director of Illinois Health Matters, an initiative of Health & Disability Advocates.
There's “a huge information gap to close” between now and Oct. 1, when people can begin shopping on the insurance exchange, she added.
“Most people don't know about (the law), and the people who it's going to benefit the most know about it even less,” she said.
Article By Claire Bushey ; Crain's Healthcare Daily : May 14, 2013
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130514/NEWS03/130519924/new-online-map-tracks-illinois-uninsured
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