The HealthChoice Illinois Advantage
With HealthChoice Illinois, you get all the services of regular Medicaid. And you get more.
Being part of Medicaid used to mean you were on your own to find doctors and other healthcare providers who would accept your card. You might have also heard of it as the “Public Aid card” or “fee-for-service” Medicaid.
Ten HealthChoice Illinois advantages
Check with your health plan to take advantage of the added benefits of HealthChoice Illinois. They can help you:
Find a primary care provider (PCP) who will get to know your health care needs
Manage your health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma
Make doctor’s appointments and keep them
Provide a Nurse Hotline that you can call 24 hours a day/7 days a week
Connect you with a care coordinator who will help you set health goals and give you the information and tools you need to meet them
Find a specialist, dental provider, or mental health professional in your area
Transition from a hospital or facility back into your home or community
Connect you with transportation to and from doctor appointments
Promote a healthy lifestyle with routine wellness visits, including check-ups, immunizations, and other preventive care, as well as helpful online tips
Connect you with community resources, including food pantries, childcare, energy assistance, and support groups
Care Coordination
One of the most important advantages of HealthChoice Illinois is something we call care coordination. It’s about working with you personally to find the right care based on your health needs.
Care coordination through your health plan can help you:
Find a primary care provider (PCP) who will get to know you and your health care needs if you do not already have one
Manage your health care conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma
Get information you need to stay healthy
Identify your health goals and create a care plan to reach those goals
There to help you. A care coordinator who knows your history and needs is at the center of care coordination. Your care coordinator can answer questions about your care, work with your medical providers to help you, connect you to community resources and more.
After you join a health plan, your plan will reach out to you. They will ask you questions about your health and lifestyle and give you information about care coordination.
If you are already with a health plan but do not have a care coordinator, you can call your health plan’s member services helpline and ask for one. The member services phone number is on your health plan member ID card and in your health plan member handbook. Or check out our Contact the health plans listing.
Added benefits from your health plan.
Under HealthChoice Illinois, health plans offer at least the same services that members received before on Medicaid. But plans are able to offer more options. And many of them see the value in giving you added opportunities to live a healthy life. Check with your plan to see about added benefits that just may help you out.