Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Illinois program

Free health insurance for your child (All Kids / All Kids Assist)

Illinois's free Medicaid plan for children under 19, on its own or behind any insurance the child has.

What it is

Illinois's free Medicaid plan for children under 19, on its own or behind any insurance the child has.

All Kids covers children whose current monthly income meets the line for their household. Work insurance does not block it. Illinois decides who belongs in your child’s household and which income counts.

Eligibility rules
  • The January 1, 2026 monthly All Kids limits for household sizes 1–10 are $4,229; $5,734; $7,239; $8,745; $10,250; $11,755; $13,260; $14,765; $16,271; and $17,776. The state’s published additional-person amount is $1,504.
  • Your child must live in Illinois and be under 19. Immigration status does not prevent otherwise eligible children from receiving All Kids.
  • The application checks current monthly income. Dividing yearly income by 12 is only an estimate, especially after a pay change.
  • The state applies the child’s tax-household rules; everyone at your address is not necessarily included. A Social Security number is not required if your child has none.
Why families with insurance look at this
  • For covered care that meets both plans’ rules, a participating clinic generally cannot charge you the work-plan deductible or copay. This protection can apply even when All Kids pays nothing extra.
  • There is no All Kids premium or copay.
  • All Kids also offers dental care, vision care and rides. Home nursing needs a separate care assessment.
  • A HIPP referral can start while Medicaid is being reviewed. Premium payments need Medicaid eligibility and HFS approval that the private plan saves the state money.
What to weigh before changing coverage
  • The hospital can check whether the exact plans cover your cancer team, pharmacy and planned treatment.
  • Keeping both means managing two insurers and paying any work-plan premium. Removing one child may not reduce a family premium.
What you get
  • No premium or copays for covered hospital care, chemotherapy, medicines and clinic visits.
  • Dental and vision care, plus rides to covered appointments.
  • Home nursing when your child’s care needs qualify.
  • Eligible bills from up to three months before the application month can be covered.
What the help includes
  • Private insurance is billed first. Covered care still has to meet Medicaid rules and use participating doctors and facilities.
  • The children’s benefit, EPSDT, covers medically necessary care within federal Medicaid benefit categories. It does not guarantee every requested service.
  • When your child has private insurance and All Kids, the private plan pays first. For Medicaid-covered, properly authorized care from a Medicaid-enrolled provider, the provider cannot make your child pay the private plan’s deductible, coinsurance or copay—even when Medicaid’s payment calculation adds $0. The provider must check both plans’ coverage and billing rules; a noncovered service or nonparticipating provider needs a separate review.
  • Illustrative covered-care example: the work plan allows $10,000 and pays $7,000 after a $3,000 deductible. Medicaid’s allowed amount is $6,000, so Medicaid adds $0. For properly authorized care from an enrolled provider, the provider cannot collect that $3,000 deductible from you. Noncovered care and nonparticipating providers require a separate review.
If you decide to apply
  1. Talk with the hospital social worker or financial counselor about whether an All Kids review fits your child. They can explain the ABE process and the records it would need.
  2. Have recent income records, your Illinois address, your child's identification and any insurance cards ready. Include earlier bills and the months they concern.
  3. Ask the counselor to check your cancer team, hospital and pharmacy against the available plans.

All Kids: 866-255-5437 · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • The ordinary application decision standard is 45 days; disability-based cases have a 60-day standard.
  • Approved children generally receive 12 months of continuous eligibility.
  • Earlier coverage is limited to eligible months: up to three months before the application month through 2026, and two months for applications from January 1, 2027.
  • Illinois hospitals cannot grant temporary Medicaid on the spot. If a complete application is still undecided after 45 days, the counselor can ask DHS (877-805-5312, option 8) for a temporary medical card.
Good to know

Your child can have All Kids and private insurance together. If a Medicaid application is overdue, your financial counselor can check a separate temporary-card process.

Other details
  • There is no waiting period because your child recently had private insurance, and All Kids no longer has premium tiers.
  • Keeping two plans can preserve your work-plan network, but means a premium and two sets of billing rules. Before changing coverage, the financial counselor can compare both plans against the treatment schedule.
  • A child qualifies whatever their immigration status, and the 2026 federal changes do not alter that in Illinois.

Federal background: Medicaid, CHIP, Medicaid as second insurance and the children’s benefit (EPSDT).

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could All Kids help with our child’s treatment costs? What are the benefits and drawbacks alongside any insurance we have, and would you help us apply if it makes sense?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand whether All Kids could reduce our bills without disrupting treatment.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

File on ABE (the state's online application) today with this month's income and any insurance. Name the months with old bills and pick a plan the oncology group takes.

Your social worker

The oncology social worker or financial counselor helps file and checks the application, and tracks the 45-day decision standard. There is no hospital temporary coverage to ask for in Illinois.

The care team

Nothing for ordinary All Kids. Treatment records matter only for a disability category.

Who decides
The Department of Human Services checks income. Healthcare and Family Services and the HealthChoice Illinois plan you pick run the coverage.
Ask your social worker
“Can you help me file on ABE today, list bills from the three prior months, and check which HealthChoice Illinois plan the hospital and the oncology group take?”

How to apply

First step: Apply on ABE, the state's online application (abe.illinois.gov), or call 1-866-255-5437 this week. Ask for coverage of the three months before the application month.

  1. Apply at abe.illinois.gov this week; the hospital cannot start temporary coverage in Illinois.
  2. List the months with bills so the three-month look-back covers the admission.
  3. Pick a HealthChoice Illinois plan the hospital and the oncology group take.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at abe.illinois.gov or call 1-866-ALL-KIDS. Ask for coverage of the three months before the application month.

What to gather

  • Child's birth certificate or ID and Social Security number (not required for All Kids if the child has none)
  • Illinois address
  • This month's income for each parent in the tax household (last four pay stubs)
  • Insurance cards, if any
  • Hospital bills from the three months before the application

How long: The processing standard is 45 days from the day you file (60 for a disability-based case). Coverage, once approved, reaches back three months before the application month (two months for applications from January 1, 2027), and then runs 12 months without a re-check.

What a yes looks like

A notice with coverage dates and a HealthChoice Illinois plan choice (Aetna Better Health, Blue Cross Community Health Plans, Meridian, Molina, or CountyCare in Cook County). Check that the hospital and the oncology group take the plan before choosing. 12 months of continuous coverage follows.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Check whether the denial is about income, a missing document or the wrong rule, and appeal by the date on the notice. If income is too high, the MFTD waiver ignores parents' income for a child who needs nursing-level care at home, and the monthly spend-down is the last resort.

Watch out

  • Illinois has opted out of hospital presumptive eligibility through December 31, 2026. For a qualifying application still pending after 45 days, or 60 days for a disability-based case, ask IDHS about a Temporary Medical Card.
  • Your child can keep private insurance and have All Kids too. Do not cancel the work plan to apply.
  • An old All Kids FAQ still talks about premiums and a 3-month wait after dropping insurance. Both ended in July 2022; if a worker cites them, ask for the rule in writing.
  • Otherwise eligible children can receive All Kids regardless of immigration status. The state says the federal funding changes do not remove this child coverage.

If they say no, quote this: All Kids Assist: children under 19 at or under 318% FPL (PM I-03-00); eligible even with current or recent private insurance, no premiums or copays (HFS, All Kids has changed, 7/1/2022).

Dates that change this

2026-01-01: Income lines are the IDHS 2026 table (effective January 1, 2026; active cases updated April 2026).

2027-01-01: Coverage reaches back three months before the application month now; two months for applications on or after January 1, 2027 (Illinois keeps two months for every group with state funds).

2026-12-31: Illinois opted out of hospital presumptive eligibility under its 1115 demonstration, extended through December 31, 2026; what happens after that date is not published. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

2026-10-01: From October 1, 2026 federal Medicaid money is limited to citizens, lawful permanent residents and a few other groups. All Kids covers children regardless of immigration status with state money; confirm with HFS that nothing changes for your child. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

Full Medicaid (All Kids) with no premium or copays. 2026 monthly limits: $5,734 for two, $7,239 for three, $8,745 for four, $10,250 for five, $11,755 for six. Same limit at every age under 19.

  • $5,734/month — Family of 2, All Kids limit (318% of poverty, allowance included)
  • $7,239/month — Family of 3, All Kids limit
  • $8,745/month — Family of 4, All Kids limit
  • $10,250/month — Family of 5, All Kids limit
  • $11,755/month — Family of 6, All Kids limit

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · EPSDT: anything medically necessary for a child under 21 · Home nursing when approved · Rides to appointments · Dental and vision

What it costs the family: No premium. No copays.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
MAGI, at or under 318% FPL (the printed cell already includes the 5% disregard); one line for every age under 19
Insurance status condition
none: eligible even with current or recent private insurance; Medicaid pays second; no waiting period
Residency
Illinois
Immigration
regardless of immigration status (All Kids)
Hospital presumptive eligibility
Illinois opted out of hospital presumptive eligibility through December 31, 2026. This is separate from the Temporary Medical Card process for qualifying overdue applications after 45 days, or 60 days for disability-based cases.
Continuous eligibility months
12
Retroactive months
3
Retroactive months from 2027
2
Chip structure
Medicaid-expansion CHIP since 2022-07-01; the former Share / Premium Level 1 / Premium Level 2 tiers are obsolete; Premium Levels 3-8 (the full-cost buy-in) ended 2012-06-30

Decisions this site cannot make: MAGI eligibility by an IDHS Family Community Resource Center; HFS runs the program

Expect friction on: HealthChoice Illinois plan choice: check that the oncology center takes the plan (Comer and UI Health publish their lists; the others were not found)

The trap: Hospital presumptive eligibility is unavailable through December 31, 2026. A qualifying overdue application may have a separate Temporary Medical Card route after 45 days, or 60 days for a disability-based case. The social worker can help check which process fits.

Where I read this

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