CA:County pushes extended health coverage to IA children
County pushes extended health coverage to children
By Eiji Yamashita
eyamashita@HanfordSentinel.com
Kings County is taking a gradual step toward achieving universal health insurance coverage for children and youth.
Seven months ago, the county launched a public insurance program. Dubbed "Healthy Kids Kings," the program aimed at covering immigrant children younger than 5 years old, who often fall through the cracks.
County health officials say they are now ready to extend the coverage to children ages 6 to 18, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the California Endowment.
"Our first priority is to cover all children who are going to age out," said Al Franco, Kings County's Child Health Initiative program coordinator.
Without the new program, a sizable number of children currently in the program who will turn 6 this year will get disenrolled from the coverage, Franco said.
"The next priority is to cover the older siblings of those children (who are currently in the program)," Franco said.
A state study estimates 4,000 uninsured children live in Kings County. Approximately 75 percent are likely eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, state and federal programs that cover families at or near the poverty line. The remaining 1,000 are not eligible either because their parents don't meet income requirements or they are in the United States illegally.
The Child Health Initiative, long envisioned by First 5 Kings, is an attempt to make a dent in those numbers.
Of the 125 slots available for children younger than 5 years old, 33 have been filled so far, Franco said.
The county is stepping up its outreach effort to recruit more families with a goal to fill the remaining slots by the end of June. Most of the target population are children of farm workers, who move with the season.
"It's a little hard to reach this population because they believe we are a federal agency," Franco said. "We try to bring down the barriers by educating them."
Meanwhile, the county health department is trying to notify uninsured children who are eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families or a Kaiser health coverage program. The county is assisting families with applications for these programs. Healthy Kids Kings is a last resort for children who do not qualify for existing insurance programs for the indigents of varied income levels.
Services are often available at early childhood education centers, preschools and family resource centers.
"We're working very closely with the community," Franco said. "It will benefit the community very much."
Information: Call the toll-free line at 1-800-619-5399
The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.
(Jan. 21, 2008)
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