Illinois All Kids Insurance: Eligibility, Tiers, and Coverage

All Kids insurance in Illinois covers children 18 and younger who live in the state, with eligibility open regardless of immigration status or pre-existing conditions. Families pay nothing, a small annual co-pay, or a modest monthly premium depending on income, and coverage includes doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, dental, vision, and mental health treatment. The program is capped at 300% of the federal poverty level, which works out to roughly $99,000 a year for a family of four in 2026.¹²

Who Qualifies

A child qualifies if they live in Illinois, are 18 or younger, and their family’s income falls within the program’s limits.³ Citizens, lawful permanent residents, and undocumented children can all enroll. Illinois asks citizens for proof of citizenship because federal law requires it, and only checks immigration status when the family voluntarily provides an Alien Registration Number.

A common misconception is that a child has to be uninsured. Not quite. Children can qualify for the three lower-cost tiers (Assist, Share, and Premium Level 1) even while carrying private insurance. Only Premium Level 2 requires the child to have been uninsured for at least three months before coverage starts, and even that waiting period has exceptions: a parent’s job ended, the prior coverage was COBRA, or the family’s premium costs exceeded 5% of household income.³

If a family voluntarily drops a child’s existing private insurance, the same three-month wait applies unless the household is below the Premium Level 2 threshold or the old premium ate up more than 5% of income.

Two groups are excluded no matter the income figure. A child who is an inmate of a public institution or a facility for mental diseases cannot enroll, and neither can a child who came to Illinois solely to obtain medical care.³

The Four Tiers and What They Cost

All Kids has four coverage tiers, and monthly gross household income and family size decide which one a child lands in. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services publishes an official income chart with the current thresholds for every family size.⁴ Using a family of four for reference:

All Kids Assist covers the lowest-income families, up to $3,246 per month. There are no premiums and no co-payments. This tier is functionally Medicaid.
All Kids Share covers families earning $3,247 to $3,467 per month. No monthly premium, but the family pays up to $100 per year in co-payments across all services combined.
All Kids Premium Level 1 covers moderate incomes, $3,468 to $4,615 per month. Premiums run $15 for one child, $25 for two, and $5 per additional child, capped at $40 for five or more. Annual co-pays are capped at $100 per family.
All Kids Premium Level 2 covers higher incomes, $4,616 to $7,023 per month. Premiums are $40 per child, capped at $80 for two or more. Hospital co-payments can reach $500 per child per year.

The thresholds slide up and down with family size. A single-child household qualifies for Assist at up to $1,578 per month and for Premium Level 2 between $2,244 and $3,413.⁴ Check the current HFS chart for your household before assuming a tier, since figures are adjusted over time to reflect federal poverty guideline changes.

Missed premiums matter. If you fall behind, HFS will cancel your child’s coverage, and you will still owe the premiums for any months the child was insured, even if you never used the card. You can reapply at any time, but the outstanding balance has to be paid before coverage resumes.³

What All Kids Covers

The benefit package is broad. According to the HFS Member Handbook, covered services include:⁵

Regular checkups, immunizations, and lab screenings
Doctor and specialist visits
Hospital care, including inpatient stays, outpatient procedures, emergency room visits, and surgery
Prescription drugs through participating pharmacies
Dental exams, cleanings, and treatments
Eye exams, eyeglasses, and optometrist services
Inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment
Inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
Durable medical equipment, respiratory equipment, and supplies
Home health services, early intervention, chiropractic care, kidney dialysis, hospice care, audiologist services, podiatry, and skilled nursing care

Behavioral health coverage is worth flagging because many parents don’t realize it is in the package. Both inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse care are included, which fills a gap that appears often in private plans.

There is one carve-out. For children in Premium Levels 1 and 2 (covered under the Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Act rather than Medicaid), benefits mirror the Children’s Health Insurance Program with the exception of non-emergency transportation, which is excluded.² Emergency medical transportation is covered across every tier. Children in the Assist tier get the broadest coverage, including non-emergency transportation.

How to Apply

You can apply online, download a paper application from the HFS website, or call the All Kids Hotline at 1-866-255-5437 (TTY: 1-877-204-1012). Applications are available in English and Spanish.⁶

Have documentation ready for three things: the child’s age, Illinois residency, and household income. A birth certificate covers age. A utility bill or lease covers residency. Pay stubs cover income for wage earners, and self-employed families can use HFS form KC 2790KC. The state accepts a range of documents, so unconventional employment or living situations aren’t automatic disqualifiers.

Illinois law requires the state to process medical assistance applications within 45 days for most applicants, or 60 days when a disability determination is involved.⁷ Straightforward applications often move faster. Once approved, you’ll receive notice of the child’s tier, any premium owed, and how to use the coverage. An approved child is guaranteed 12 months of eligibility as long as the family stays in Illinois, the child is still under 19, and premiums (where owed) stay current.²

Keeping Coverage Active

Coverage doesn’t renew forever on its own. HFS or the Illinois Department of Human Services will mail a redetermination notice when it’s time to renew: first a heads-up, then the actual form about two weeks later. Fill it out, attach the requested documentation, and return it by the deadline printed on the form. Miss the deadline and coverage can lapse.

If your household changes before the redetermination cycle (a move, a new job, a change in family size or income), report it promptly through the Manage My Case online portal, by calling the DHS Help Line at 1-800-843-6154, or through your local Family Community Resource Center.⁸ A change in income doesn’t automatically end coverage. The child may simply shift between tiers, moving from Assist to Share or from Share to Premium Level 1 while staying insured.⁹

If You’re Denied

If HFS denies an application, terminates benefits, reduces coverage, or changes premiums or co-payments in a way you believe is wrong, you can appeal. An appeal triggers a fair hearing with you, an HFS representative, and a neutral hearing officer.¹⁰

You have 60 days from the disputed action to file. You can appeal by writing a letter, filling out a Notice of Appeal form, or calling HFS. If the child is enrolled in a managed care health plan, decisions made by the plan itself can also be appealed. The 60-day window is generous, and the process is built to work without a lawyer.

What Happens at Age 19

All Kids coverage ends on the child’s 19th birthday. There is no grace period, and no automatic move into adult coverage. Having had All Kids as a child does not carry over into adult Medicaid, which uses different qualifying criteria.

After aging out, young adults generally have a few paths. Federal law lets group health plans keep dependents on a parent’s employer or private insurance until age 26, and Illinois extends that to age 30 for dependents who are military veterans. Adults who meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability may qualify for Medicaid through the state’s disability-based programs, and working adults with disabilities may be eligible for the Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities program. Without those options, the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov offers income-based subsidies that can bring premiums down significantly.

Start looking at options three to six months before the 19th birthday, especially if the young adult takes regular medications or has ongoing care. A gap in coverage becomes a gap in prescriptions, and re-establishing care with new providers takes time.

1
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
2
Justia. Illinois Compiled Statutes Chapter 215 – 215 ILCS 170 Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Act
3
HFS Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All Kids Home
4
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All Kids – How Much Does It Cost
5
HFS Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All Kids Member Handbook – Covered Services
6
HFS Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All Kids Application
7
Illinois Department of Human Services. Frequently Asked Questions – Medical Application Processing Time
8
Illinois Department of Human Services. Change of Address, Income or Assets
9
HealthCare.gov. The Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
10
HFS Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All Kids Member Handbook – About Appeals and Fair Hearings