A potentially heartbreaking situation exists in California’s communities. No- and low-cost health insurance is available for children of working families, but many families are not aware of it or how to access it.

Through Communities for Healthy Kids, cities and counties are exploring innovative ways to helping families access affordable health insurance for their kids. This means these kids are more likely to get the health care they need to be healthy, perform better at school, and not spread illness to their classmates and teachers.

Resources

With the assistance of its pilot communities, CHK has identified a number of best practices local agencies can use to help eligible families. For example …

• Families view community centers as safe and trusted sources of information.
• Outreach opportunities include agency programs, like recreation programs, neighborhood watch meetings, and special events such as health fairs
• Collaboration with county health departments, children’s health initiatives, schools, local health plans, and others are crucial.

CHK offers best practices, tips for success, templates and how-to’s that can be adapted for any community, along with case stories from those who have used the best practice.

What is no and low cost health insurance for kids?

• Medi-Cal is for working and non-working families covering children up to age 21 to provide comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits.
• Healthy Family Program covers children birth to age 19 and those who do not qualify for free Medi-Cal and have no employer-sponsored health insurance.
• Children’s Health Initiatives (CHIs) offer coverage in 28 counties for children ineligible for state-sponsored programs.

Related Institute Programs

• Land Use and Environment