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News Release

HHS APPROVES ILLINOIS PLAN TO EXPAND PRENATAL CARE
TO 41,000 PREGNANT WOMEN AND UNBORN CHILDREN UNDER SCHIP

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a request by Illinois to expand health coverage to low-income pregnant women and their unborn children under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The state expects to enroll more than 41,000 under the new plan -- making it the biggest such plan approved to date.

"This new coverage will give tens of thousands of Illinois children a healthy start by providing access to prenatal care," Secretary Thompson said. "Prenatal care is crucial to the health and well-being of both mother and child. Vital services during pregnancy can be a life-long determinant of health and we should do everything possible to make this care available to everyone."

Illinois is the third state to take advantage of a new regulation allowing states to provide prenatal services to pregnant women under SCHIP. HHS approved similar plans in Michigan and Rhode Island in April.

Under the new regulation, states can offer prenatal care as a state plan option under the SCHIP program. This allows states to quickly expand coverage of prenatal care to pregnant women and their unborn children, who otherwise would be eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP coverage only after they are born. Low-income pregnant women also may be eligible to receive prenatal services through the Medicaid program.

Under its new plan, Illinois will enroll pregnant women with family incomes up to and including 200 percent of the federal poverty level and who are otherwise not eligible for Medicaid. The federal poverty level is $8,980 for an individual. Enrollees will receive the standard SCHIP benefit package that includes prenatal care for the mother and her unborn child. Enrollment in the SCHIP plan in Illinois will continue for 12 months from confirmation of pregnancy.

SCHIP was enacted with bipartisan support in 1997 with a total ten-year funding authorized at $40 billion. Although all states now operate SCHIP programs, substantial portions of the available funds remain unused.

"President Bush and I are committed to doing everything we can to encourage states to use all their SCHIP funds to expand health coverage to low-income children and pregnant mothers in their states who otherwise would remain uninsured," Secretary Thompson said. "This prenatal care option provides a real opportunity for states to help more pregnant women and children who need reliable, quality health care."

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: June 11, 2003