The Cook County Health & Hospitals System (CCHHS), with support from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioners Bridget Gainer, Jesús “Chuy” Garcia and Robert Steele and the county wide Healthy Communities Cook County (HC3) Coalition, intends to launch a coordinated health program for uninsured individuals who live in Cook County. “The Affordable Care Act has been instrumental in providing new insurance opportunities to more than 16 million Americans. Yet, there are still too many people in our community who remain uninsured. Such a coordinated health program will improve access to care for uninsured Cook County residents and reinforce Cook County Health & Hospitals System’s 180-year-old mission to care for all, regardless of ability to pay,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

A coordinated health program will provide eligible residents with a membership card, member handbook and an assigned “medical home,” and primary care physician at one of CCHHS’ community health centers where they can receive consistent primary and specialty care at any CCHHS facility. All Cook County residents who earn up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and are not otherwise eligible for public insurance will be eligible for the program. The idea for the program was conceived by CCHHS in collaboration with Commissioners Gainer, Garcia and Steele and the Cook County Health Care Task Force that was established by President Preckwinkle and Cook County Board of Commissioners in January 2016 which includes a coalition of community partners, HC3. “This program will be critically important for people who do not have access to medical care due to their lack of insurance. Many of them may have been forced to rely on local emergency departments for their health care, a practice that is expensive and can lead to fragmented care and poorer outcomes,” said Commissioner Garcia (D-Chicago). An estimated 900,000 people in Illinois (a majority of whom live in Cook County) remain uninsured because they are unable to afford commercial plans despite employer or federal subsidies, because they have not yet been enrolled in a public health plan for which they are eligible, or because of their immigration status. CCHHS will develop an operational structure for the coordinated health program as well as a transition plan for current CareLink members and other eligible patients to enter into the new program beginning in early 2017.