The Quiet Revolution: Medicaid and SCHIP Coverage of Low-Income Children in Illinois

Since the early 1990s, major policy changes at the national level have created a revolution in health care coverage for low-income children—most strikingly, a shift from welfare-based to income-based eligibility. This report, and the related policy brief, document how those changes have affected the enrollment of Illinois children in Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. They show the progress Illinois is making in enrolling children, the gap that remains between eligibility and enrollment, and the disparities between children who are covered and parents who are not. Information from the project can be used as background for discussions and decision-making about health care policy and coverage.

This report and policy brief are products of the Illinois Medicaid Research Project, funded by the Michael Reese Health Trust and implemented by the Chapin Hall Center for Children of the University of Chicago. See also Health Challenges, Policy Challenges: Medicaid and the Disabled in Illinois, under the “Disabilities” topic.