About All Kids

All Kids is Illinois' program for children who need comprehensive, affordable, health insurance, regardless of immigration status or health condition. Every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy. With All Kids, your children will be able to get the care they need, when they need it. It means you can take your child to the doctor for a regular check-up, to the dentist to fill a cavity, or to the eye doctor to get a prescription for glasses.

To date, there are over 1.6 million Illinois children enrolled in All Kids. If your family, like many hardworking families, cannot afford private health insurance, All Kids may be the answer for you.

All Kids is complete health insurance for your child. All Kids covers doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care, and eyeglasses. All Kids covers regular check-ups and immunizations (shots). All Kids also covers special services like medical equipment, speech therapy, and physical therapy for children who need them.

Children can get All Kids health insurance if:

1. They live in Illinois.

2. They are age 18 or younger.

3. They meet the insurance requirements for All Kids.

4. Their family's income meets the All Kids Income Limit.

See the All Kids Income Standards & Cost Sharing Chart for the limits. The income limits may increase each year based on the federal poverty level.

No. The custodial parent must be the person filing the All Kids application. We take into account the size and family income of the custodial parent.

Illinois FamilyCare health insurance covers parents, but there is a limit to how much income parents can have to get FamilyCare. Parents and children can apply on the same application. For more information, check out the FamilyCare Web site.

A pregnant woman may be eligible for Moms & Babies. If she is, we can enroll her newborn into All Kids as soon as she delivers. For more information about Moms & Babies, visit the Moms & Babies Web site.

Most enrollees have to pick a health plan and primary care provider (PCP) for their medical home. The Illinois Client Enrollment Broker will contact you when it is time to choose. Until you have a health plan, you can call Illinois Health Connect at 1-877-912-1999 (TTY:1-866-565-8577) for help.  

A child who that is found eligible for All Kids Assist, Share, or Premium Levels 1 and 2 has 12 months of guaranteed coverage, unless they move out of Illinois, or turn 19. We will send a notice 10 months after All Kids coverage starts for the family to renew for another year. At that time, some families may have to switch from All Kids.

As long as children meet the other requirements, they can get All Kids regardless of immigration status. They must live in Illinois. If children come to Illinois just to get medical care, they will not qualify for All Kids.

All Kids health insurance will not affect your child's immigration status as long as your child does not receive long term care in a nursing home or mental health facility. For more information about public charge, see Questions and Answers about Immigration and Public Charge in HFS 3863.

If undocumented children apply for All Kids, will you report them to the United States government?

No. We will only check the immigration status of children who are not citizens if they give us their Alien Registration Numbers.

My son was born in the United States. Why does the All Kids application ask for proof that he is a citizen?

Illinois has to ask all citizens for proof because of a federal law.

Children can qualify for All Kids Assist Share and Premium Level 1 even if they have insurance. To qualify for All Kids Premium Level 2, a child must have been uninsured for 3 months, have lost insurance because a job ended, the employer stopped offering insurance, the insurance was COBRA, the premium for the child was more than 5% of the household income, the cost of the family coverage including the child was more than 9.5 % of the household income, the child has special health care needs, or the child lost benefits under another All Kids program or the Health Insurance Marketplace. The annual income amounts for All Kids Premium Level 2 are shown below.

The income limit is higher for larger families.

Income guidelines are updated each year. Check the All Kids Web site for updates.

I am a single mom with two kids. I earn $30,000 a year. I get health insurance from my job for my kids but it does not cover dental care. Can my children get All Kids?

Yes. Because of your income, your children can get All Kids even if they have other health insurance. The health insurance from your job would be your children’s primary insurance. All Kids would be the secondary insurance to use for services that the primary insurance does not cover, such as dental care.

My child has health insurance now but it costs too much each month. Can I drop it and get All Kids?

If you drop your childs health insurance, you will have to wait 3 months before your child can get All Kids, unless your income is lower than the amounts shown above for All Kids Premium Level 2, or your premium for the child exceeds 5% of your household income.

My child's health insurance ended when my job ended. Can my child get All Kids?

Yes. Your child can qualify. Even if you are paying your former employer for insurance under a COBRA plan, your child can get All Kids.

My child's health insurance only covers hospital stays. Can my child get All Kids?

Yes. Health insurance that covers only one service or one medical condition does not count when we decide if your child can get All Kids. For instance, insurance that only covers vision, dental, cancer, hospital stays, or school-based health insurance does not count.

My child has a pre-existing medical condition. Can my child get All Kids?

Yes. Children who have a pre-existing medical condition can get All Kids. As part of national health care reform, no insurance company can exclude or delay new coverage for a child based on a pre-existing condition.

Some families get All Kids for free. Some families have to pay premiums and co-payments for All Kids health insurance. What you pay will depend on your income.

Monthly Premiums - You may have to pay a monthly premium for your children to get All Kids. A premium is a monthly amount that some families must pay even if they do not use any health care that month.

Co-Payments - You may also have to pay a part of the cost of the healthcare your child gets from a doctor, dentist or hospital. You may have to pay part of the cost of prescription drugs. These costs are called co-payments.

You will never have to pay a co-payment when your child gets a regular check-up or shots. These are called well-child visits and they are free for all children enrolled in All Kids.

The amount of premiums and co-payments you will have to pay depends on your income, the size of your family and how many of your children get All Kids.

What will All Kids premiums and co-payments cost an average family?

Here are some examples of what All Kids will cost. If you apply for All Kids and qualify, we will send you a notice telling you how much All Kids will cost your family. We will send you a bill every month if you have to pay a premium.

Example - A family of four that makes up to *$36,168 of gross income each year does not have to pay any premiums or co-payments for their children.

Example - A family of four that makes about *$36,180 to $38,628 of gross income each year does not have to pay any premiums. A family like this pays a $3.90 co-payment for each doctor visit, and $2 or $3.90 for each prescription. This family would pay a maximum of $100 in total co-payments in a year.

Example - A family of four that makes about *$38,640 to $51,420 of gross income each year pays premiums of $15 per month for one child, $25 for two children or $30 for three children. A family like this pays co-payments of $5 for a visit to a doctor, and $3 or $5 for each prescription drug. This family would pay a maximum of $100 in total co-payments in a year.

Example - A family of four that makes about *$51,432 to $78,228 of gross income a year pays a premium of $40 per month for one child and $80 a month for two children. A family like this would pay $10 for each doctor visit, and $3 or $7 for each prescription drug. This family would pay $100 if a child was hospitalized and 5 percent of the cost of any hospital outpatient service.

Remember, no family ever has to pay for their children's regular check-ups and immunizations.

*The income standards may increase each year. For more detailed information about All Kids costs see the Income Standards & Cost Sharing Chart.

Do I have to pay my first premium to start All Kids coverage?

Coverage for new families enrolled in All Kids Premium Levels 1 and 2 may start before you pay the first month's premium. If you get an approval letter and do not want the coverage, you must contact 1-866-255-5437 right away to cancel the coverage. If you do not cancel the coverage, you may still owe money for premiums even if you don't use the All Kids card.

What happens if I do not pay my All Kids premiums?

If you do not pay All Kids premiums that you owe, we will cancel your child's All Kids health insurance. You will still owe premiums for the time your child was covered by All Kids even if you do not use the card. If you decide later that you want All Kids for your child, you will have to reapply and pay any premiums you owe. However, even if you owe premiums, you may reapply at any time.

What happens if I do not pay my All Kids co-payments?

If you do not pay your co-payments, your doctor may refuse to treat your child, and pharmacies will not fill your prescriptions. If you owe a co-payment, doctors and hospitals have the right to collect it from you.

The easiest way to apply is using the Internet. You can fill in and submit an ABE Application online.

You can also download and print a copy of the application from the Web site.

There are All Kids Application Agents all over Illinois that can help you apply. To find an application agent near you, visit the All Kids Application Agents Web site or call the number below.

We can also send you an application in the mail. Just call 1-866-All-Kids (1-866-255-5437). If you use a TTY, call 1-877-204-1012. The hotline has translation services available.

What Happens After I Apply?

All Kids will notify you by mail when a decision has been made. If your child qualifies for All Kids, we will send you an All Kids member handbook to explain how it works. We will also send you an HFS Medical Card.

All Kids Hotline 1-866-ALL-KIDS (1-866-255-5437)

TTY: 1-877-204-1012