The cost of doctor visits, physicals and other health issues have been a primary concern for countless Americans over the years, but in Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to make the dream of health insurance for all children a reality.

Starting July 1, the All Kids program will take effect. The program will provide health insurance for children unable to receive Medicaid and families with higher incomes that still cannot afford health care.

Christine Glunz, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, said there are 250,000 uninsured children in the state.

“We hope to enroll about 50,000 (kids) in the first year,” Glunz said.

Glunz said the long-term goal is to make sure every child in the state is insured. She said this program will have an overwhelming effect on countless families.

“There are so many families who are working hard but can’t afford the healthcare,” Glunz said.

Applications for the program became available on April 18. Glunz said the program is an extension of Kid Care, an existing health care program for lower income families.

“Kid Care is the healthcare program for lower income families,” Glunz said.

The new program provides comprehensive health care to recipients.

“It’s not just catastrophic (incidents), Glunz said. “It is preventable care: visits to the doctors, prescription drugs, eyes and hearing tests.”

Blagojevich’s program is also being supported at the national level by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Christina Angarola, spokeswoman for the senator, said Durbin is trying to pass a similar bill in Congress that would be applied nationwide.

“He is really trying to use this (program) as a model for a federal program,” Angarola said. “The senator supports the governor and even helped him promote this program through out the state.”

However, everyone is not as optimistic about the program. Diana Yates, director of health promotion for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said doctors who accept the program are crucial to its success.

“Even kids on Medicaid have problems finding doctors who would treat (them),” Yates said.

Yates said doctors who provide service to patients without insurance have to wait to be reimbursed.

“If the doctors don’t get reimbursed for months, they will not take as many patients,” Yates said.

Yates said there were 13,770 kids who were enrolled in Medicaid in 2005 and that the governor’s program would expand this number. As of right now it is hard to get an exact count of how many children will be using All Kids, she said.

“There are a lot of doctors who do treat uninsured and Medicaid children but not enough,” Yates said. “The big question is are they going to participate and serve (children) on All Kids.”