Brisk cut-off for parents on Medicaid

Jennifer Bowman makes less than $2,000 a month and says she can’t afford to see a doctor after she loses Medicaid coverage on July 1.

The 24-year-old single mother has one advantage, though, over thousands of working parents who also will lose coverage. She knows about it.

Health insurance coverage is ending in three weeks for Bowman and more than 25,000 Illinois working parents — and most of them don’t know it yet. Bowman only knows because she works for a county health department.

Illinois officials are scrambling to prepare letters to notify people about programs that will be eliminated when Gov. Pat Quinn signs legislation cutting Medicaid by $1.6 billion.

Advocates are bracing for phone calls. Patients will have only a week or two to make backup plans.