SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich hailed passage Thursday of an initiative aimed at making sure every child in Illinois has health insurance, calling it a "historic step."

On a 79-28 vote, the Illinois House OK'd the governor's All Kids health insurance program, a move that followed Wednesday's approval of the plan in the Senate.

"To the working parents across Illinois, let me simply say they don't have to worry anymore," said Blagojevich, who took a victory lap around the House after the vote was tallied.

The program is aimed at parents who earn too much to qualify for Medicare or the state's KidCare program but face hurdles in getting insurance through their own employers.

Participants would pay deductibles and premiums based on income.

Republicans said the legislation was too vague and gives the governor's office too much power to write many of the rules for the program.

"I don't think there is a representative on this floor that is against insuring kids," said state Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, R-Des Plaines.

But, Mulligan said, lawmakers should be given more oversight.

"If you want to do this, let's do this right," said Mulligan.

The governor's office says there are 253,000 uninsured children who could take advantage of the program. However, they are unsure if that number is accurate and recently awarded a $50,000 no-bid contract to a polling company to come up with a more accurate figure.

Swift passage of the plan through the House and Senate came after Blagojevich spent two weeks barnstorming across the state campaigning in support of the proposal.

The governor signaled that the program, which will go into effect July 1, will be "aggressively promoted" in the months to come. He is expected to sign the legislation in the next few days.

Blagojevich said about 50,000 will sign up in the program's first year at a cost of $45 million. It will be funded by moving most of the state's 1.7 million Medicaid enrollees into a managed care-style of health insurance, which officials say will save $56 million.

When the program goes into effect in July 2006, not all children will be eligible. For example, only children who have been without health insurance for six months or have just recently exceeded income guidelines for the KidCare program will be allowed into the program.

Critics say the proposal is too expensive, especially just days after the state took out a $1 billion loan to cover a backlog of bills owed to health care providers.

State Rep. Mark Beaubian, R-Barrington Hills, a GOP budget expert, said it is not known whether such a comprehensive program will explode in cost when people from other states and nations flock to Illinois to take advantage of the program.

"We do not know what this will cost," said Beaubian.

Central Illinois lawmakers voting against the plan included Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville; state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon; state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington; state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth; state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet; and state Rep. David Reis, R-Ste. Marie.

Voting "yes" was state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion.

State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, voted "present."

"We want to work with you. We want to treat our kids right, but less than two days of consideration on an eight-page bill is not treating our kids right," said state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet.

"I just don't think we have enough details," said Mitchell.

State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said the legislation is designed to help Blagojevich's re-election efforts in 2006.

"This is nothing more than a game being played with children's lives," said Bost.

The legislation is House Bill 806.

Kurt Erickson can be reached at kurt.Erickson@lee.net or 782-1249.