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City Platform Section II, Step 10:
"Partner with local health care providers, pharmacies, and other interested groups to highlight the availability of federal and state-funded health insurance for children and their families."
In the United States, more than 8 million children lack basic health insurance. Many parents of uninsured children, including working parents, do not know about, or believe their children are not eligible for, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Municipal outreach and enrollment efforts can help ensure that children in the community get the health care they need through existing federal and state programs.
City Examples
Seattle, Wash.
The City of Seattle hired part-time outreach staff to help low-income families apply for public benefits, like health insurance, for which they are eligible. During tax season, workers stationed at sites offering free tax preparation were able to screen individuals for multiple benefits such as Medicaid, child care subsidies, food stamps, and energy assistance. These workers also contacted those individuals who couldn't be screened on-site but who indicated an interest in accessing other benefits on a tax preparation intake form.
To ease the process of navigating the application process, the city has a brochure about accessing benefits, along with a web-based resource called "People Point: Bridge to Benefits" that provides a single point of access to the applications for five public benefit programs. In 2006, these applications will be combined into one eligibility wizard that will eliminate the need to answer common questions for each separate application to determine eligibility.
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Bridgeport, Conn.
Under the leadership of Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, the City of Bridgeport worked to enroll some of the 15,000 uninsured children in the area in Medicaid or the Connecticut SCHIP program. The city worked with area chambers of commerce to identify fast-food chains, grocery stores, retail operations, and other businesses that employ low-wage workers. Letters then went out to the businesses explaining the benefits of SCHIP and asking that employers promote the program.
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Resources
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