The Chicago Tribune on Monday examined a debate in Illinois over whether health care coverage should be extended to all state residents. Last year, the state became the first to promise coverage to all children. According to the Tribune, the Health Care Justice Act, a "little-known" piece of legislation that passed in 2004, affirms that the state has a policy goal to "insure that all residents have access to quality health care at costs that are affordable." The act set up a process for debating health reform and a timetable for developing a "health care access plan," several key dates of which are approaching, the Tribune reports. Many legislative districts have held public hearings on the issue, while a 29-member task force is preparing to deliver a report on various reform proposals to the state legislature as early as August. Some options include expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income adults or allowing uninsured residents to purchase coverage through insurance pools, the Tribune reports. State Rep. Elizabeth Coulson (R) said she envisions a series of incremental reforms targeting specific populations, such as single adults with no children who do not qualify for Medicaid or people between ages 55 and 64 who are too young for Medicare. Howard Lerner, chair of the state's health care task force, said, "Everybody is going to have to get something, and everybody is going to have to give something for this to work." The Health Care Justice Act encourages lawmakers to vote on a plan by the end of 2006 and implement it by July 2007. Alan Weil, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, said, "The odds are long, but they're much better in Illinois than most other states" (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 2/26).