This resource center provides information and resources to help
cities and counties connect families with affordable health
insurance for their children. It was developed as a result of
three years’ effort by 10 cities and counties in California.
Potential outreach and collaboration activities to connect
children with affordable health insurance in your community are
virtually limitless. This Online Resource Center provides
web-based “how-to” resource guides for many activities and
suggestions on how to work collaboratively with health plans,
Children’s Health Initiatives, schools and non-profits in your
area.
No- and low-cost health insurance is available for children of
eligible working families, but many families are not aware of
affordable health insurance options or how to access them.
Like any important activity that a local agency launches, it’s
important to do your homework first before designing a project.
In the case of outreach and enrollment activities to connect
families with affordable health insurance for their children, a
little background research helps a lot.
Deciding on the right type of activity for your agency is a
crucial part of getting started. Asking the following key
questions will help your agency identify the best approach.
In California, there are three affordable children’s health
insurance programs: Medi-Cal, the Healthy Families Program and in
some counties, the Healthy Kids Program.
The success of individual projects depends in part on the active
involvement of the health plans offering
Medi-Cal and/or Healthy
Families in a community and the involvement of the Children’s
Health Initiatives that operate in 29 counties.
Since 1997, the federally sponsored State Children’s Health
Insurance Program has provided health coverage to children with
working parents who cannot afford or are not offered health
insurance for their dependents. Despite the programs success, 8.7
million children nationwide are still without health insurance.
