In 2004, a sweet 5th grader in a Lexington neighborhood whose mother cleaned houses for a living couldn’t go to the doctor when she was sick. Her mother made in the upper teens per year and owned a small house, which meant there was no safety net of Medicaid for her daughter. The mother was urged to apply for Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, and tried repeatedly. She made one trip across town during her work day and missed being paid, only to be told she would need to bring additional documents and miss another day. The mother could not afford to miss another day. The choice was between having enough money to pay the winter gas bill or getting the medical card.. In 2009, the mother was urged to try again. This time, Kentucky officials had purposefully made it less difficult for parents to provide medical protection for their young children by allowing the application process to be done by telephone, with the finished application able to be mailed in. Today, that child is a 10th grader, and has health care coverage through K-CHIP. That story is part of a good statewide effort.
This is an important protection. Anyone who may need this help should visit http://kidshealth.ky.gov to apply for assistance.
From the press release:
Initiative on Track to Reach Goal Six Months Early
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Governor Steve Beshear today marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Beshear Plan by announcing that the state is projected to enroll an additional 35,000 children in the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) or Medicaid programs by the end of 2009, six months ahead of schedule.
“Our original target date for enrolling 35,000 additional children in KCHIP or Medicaid was June 30, 2010. Today, just one year since the launch of this extensive effort, we are significantly ahead of schedule, due to our increased outreach efforts and simplification of the enrollment process,” Gov. Beshear announced at an event at Second Street School in Frankfort. “Meeting our goal earlier than anticipated also serves as an indicator of the state of our economy and demonstrates the effect it has on families’ everyday lives. We are clearly making a difference in easing the burden these difficult economic conditions have put on families.”
The goal of the Beshear Plan is to dramatically cut the number of children without health coverage by removing barriers to KCHIP and Medicaid enrollment. Current estimates are that approximately 32,000 additional children have been enrolled in the programs since the launch of the initiative, an average of more than 2,600 children per month. (Official numbers for October will be available in mid-November.)
Gov. Beshear’s statewide initiative began in November 2008 with a simplified mail-in application, available online, and targeted outreach efforts. Efforts have included a focus on training community partners to assist with completion of applications; availability of enrollment materials at local health departments, Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) offices and Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSC); and outreach through health care providers, community action agencies, day care centers, faith-based organizations and many others.
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The KCHIP program provides health insurance to children whose family income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, about $44,100 a year for a family of four. More details of the Beshear Plan and enrollment information are available at http://kidshealth.ky.gov.
