Covering California's Kids
It is well documented that having health insurance improves the health of children. Yet approximately 1 million children in California are uninsured, and about two in three are eligible for, but not enrolled in existing health programs. The tangle of multiple programs, applications and eligibility guidelines pose major obstacles for families trying to get their children enrolled. In addition, a significant number of children in low-income families would still not qualify for any type of health insurance coverage due to legal immigration status or family income. Many uninsured children are from families with low wage jobs, which do not offer employer-based health insurance, while other children come from communities where their immigration status presents a major barrier for obtaining health coverage.
The consequences for children who are uninsured can be dire. For example, uninsured children are four times more likely to have no usual source of care compared to children with Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. Twenty percent of uninsured children have untreated vision problems, and the parents of uninsured children are seven times more likely to be forced to delay or not get medical care for their kids than parents whose children have health insurance. Uninsured children are 70 percent less likely than insured children to receive medical care for common conditions such as ear infections, and 30 percent less likely to receive medical attention when they are injured. It is also critical for children to stay covered over time. When children are covered, their ability to keep up with school activities and paying attention in class increases by 68 percent.
The California Endowment’s Children’s Coverage Program is supporting efforts to achieve health coverage for all California children, regardless of their immigration status, by working for health policy solutions through strategic partnerships like the 100% Campaign, and by providing support for local coverage or enrollment initiatives such as Alameda County’s No Wrong Door Project.
The work of these and other grantees demonstrates that getting all of California’s children covered is not only a worthy goal, but an achievable one. As a result of their work, vital health services have been preserved and innovative policies that streamline enrollment into those services have been adopted. In addition, grantees have created national models for expanding health insurance coverage for children on the local level.
