I recently met an uninsured family in Illinois whose experience is both tragic and all too common.

They were hard-working parents who paid their taxes, sent their kids to school and did everything they could to get ahead and build a better future for their children.

Then suddenly, when the father was between jobs and uninsured, he became ill with a rare and incurable blood disease.

And as the family started to do everything they could to save their dad - medical test after medical test, plasma transplants and specialist visits - they slowly lost every asset they had built up over the years: their cars, their savings and their home.

Now, they struggle each day to get by and to pay off their insurmountable medical debt - which continues to grow because, as a result of his illness, the father has a pre-existing condition that excludes him from private health insurance.

This family is not alone - and their situation could happen to any of us.

Across Illinois, more than 1.4 million adults are uninsured.

They go through every day life without preventative medical care. They fear an accident or illness will wipe out their savings and destroy their lives.

And there are millions more in this state who have insurance but are struggling every month to pay for private coverage.

The rising cost of health care has forced them to cut back on necessities and many can't afford to save for college educations or even take a family vacation.

They are afraid to change jobs because they may lose their insurance or be denied enrollment in a new program because of a pre-existing conditions.

There is something fundamentally and morally wrong when someone can afford health insurance and go to the doctor, but their neighbor can't.

The fact is: People with jobs are no longer guaranteed access to health care.

Over the last 10 years, employer-sponsored health insurance has eroded across the nation.

In 2006, 39 percent of employers in the United States were not offering insurance to their employees. Small businesses have been forced to raise premiums and deductibles to keep their employees on insurance, or cut out health benefits entirely.

As a result, the number of uninsured nationally has increased by 6 million since 2000.

And the reality is: If you have private insurance, you're already picking up the tab to cover the uninsured.

A recent Families USA study showed that premiums in 2007 for Illinois families with job-based coverage will be $1,130 higher due to the cost of care for the uninsured.

That is why Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed a historic plan to give every Illinoisan access to affordable, quality health insurance.

His plan will cover the uninsured and provide premium assistance to hard working people and small businesses.

We'll utilize the private insurance market to create a guaranteed insurance product for working families.

This isn't free insurance - this is giving everybody the opportunity that we as state officials have: access to comprehensive healthcare at an affordable rate.

It's called the Golden Rule: If we as state officials deserve access to affordable health care, so do the working people we're supposed to be serving.

And what's more, our plan saves Illinois taxpayers billions of dollars in long-term health care costs.

A report by nationally renowned health economist Dr. Kenneth Thorpe says Illinois Covered will result in savings to the state, businesses and families of $15.6 billion.

That means that the net financial effect on Illinois businesses and households is equivalent to a significant tax cut - greater than any statewide tax cut enacted in modern Illinois history.

Our plan will also provide relief to hospitals and doctors around the state who have unselfishly cared for their uninsured patients for years with little reimbursement.

Medical providers will receive a boost of nearly $1.7 billion from the governor's Illinois Covered plan through new coverage for the uninsured and increased rates for providers, including $147 million for Central Illinois health care providers.

It would also continue our strong partnership with those who care for our patients by bringing down the state's average payment cycle for providers to 30 days.

Doctors, nurses, and health care advocates know what Illinois Covered would mean to their patients who struggle everyday to pay their medical expenses.

That's why the Illinois Hospital Association, the Illinois Pharmacists Association, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, AARP Illinois, the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers, the Illinois Nurses Association, the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association, the Illinois Public Health Association, the Illinois Society for Advance Practice Nurses, the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council and the National Black Nurses Association have all endorsed our plan.

What's happening to uninsured families in Illinois isn't right - and we can do something about it.

The time is now for our legislators to do what's right for Illinois' future - and pass the governor's Illinois Covered plan.

To learn more and to voice your support, visit www.illinoiscovered.com .

Barry Maram is director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.