May 28, 2006

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

On the eve of Memorial Day, Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law a bill designed to bring affordable health care to more than 9,000 Illinois veterans who are ineligible for federal benefits.

The "Veterans Care" program is aimed at veterans who earn too much to qualify for Veterans Administration health care but can't afford to buy coverage for themselves. The Legislature passed the bill, which is effective immediately, earlier this month.

"It's not a fair deal when you can serve your country in the military, when you can go to a place and put your life and liberty on the line, you can fight our wars and then you come back home only to discover that you can't afford to see the doctor," Blagojevich said before signing the bill Sunday at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Plaza along the Chicago River.

To be eligible for the Veterans Care program, veterans must be between 19 and 64 years old, have been uninsured for the past six months, and be ineligible for other federal veterans and state health-care programs. They must also be willing to pay a $40 monthly premium, as well as doctor visit and prescription co-payments.