California’s Local Children’s Coverage Efforts and New Federal and State Legislation: Opportunities for Advancing Children’s Coverage
This year we have seen an unprecedented confluence of major federal and state legislation that will profoundly affect the movement towards universal children’s coverage in California. California’s Children’s Health Initiatives (CHIs) can play a critical role in ensuring that the opportunities afforded by the federal legislation benefit California children, and that the deleterious effect of the state budget does not hinder the progress that California has made in its efforts to insure all children. |
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2006 Dental Care Utilization in California's Healthy Kids Programs
This study, prepared by the Center for Community Health Studies at the University of Southern California, showed that there is some variability across counties in the percentage of children enrolled in a Healthy Kids program who received dental care, but greater variability in the types of services received. A large number of children required teeth extractions (indicating severe dental disease) while half received preventive services such as dental sealants or fluoride treatments. The high rate of restorative treatments indicates a sizeable need for preventive dental services among these primarily low-income, undocumented, children enrolled in Healthy Kids. |
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Utilization in Healthy Kids Programs in California: Results from 2006
This brief, prepared by the Center for Community Health Studies at the University of Southern California, provides feedback to the Children's Health Initiatves on their relative performance on access, utilization, and quality indicators by county. Overall, results show that health plans serving Healthy Kids are ensuring that vulnerable children are receiving medical care. |
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New Report Focuses on the Future of Children's Coverage in California
The Future of Children's Coverage in California, commissioned by The California Endowment, is intended to review the future of children’s health insurance coverage in California. It provides a short background of the children’s coverage movement, examines the current state of children’s coverage and the Children’s Health Initiatives (CHIs), describes the demonstrated successes of children’s coverage, and discusses the future of the CHIs and the children’s coverage movement. |
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Stability and Churning in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families
The report, Stability and Churning in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, examines enrollment patterns and gaps overall and for specific groups within Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, as well as medical costs after a gap. We use this information to examine the possible effect of the Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to reinstate Quarterly Status Reports in Medi-Cal. |
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Functioning At The Brink: The Children's Health Initiatives Have Grown But May Not Survive
Healthy Kids is still the only affordable source of comprehensive coverage for these children, but anticipated funding deficits threaten to close these programs and disenroll thousands of children in the absence of state funding. |
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The Role of School-Based Health Centers under Universal Coverage for Children and Youth in California: Issues and Options
In August 2006, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a plan to expand by 500 the number of school-based health clinics in California elementary schools. Concurrently, proposals have been coming forth from the legislature further defining universal coverage for all children in the state. This report, The Role of School-Based Health Centers under Universal Coverage for Children and Youth in California: Issues and Options, presents challenges and suggestions for a new model of health care delivery to all children and youth in California under universal care. In particular, it addresses the role of schools and school-based health centers and their many public and private partners as they work to secure the physical, mental and emotional health of children and youth. |
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Covering California's Kids: Outcomes from Children's Health Initiatives in California
This report, Outcomes from Children's Health Initiatives in California, examines the outcomes of Children's Health Initiatives in several California counties. |
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Los Angeles County OERU Evaluation
The University of Southern California's Center for Community Health Studies recently released the report, Los Angeles County OERU Evaluation: State Budget Cuts Threaten Efforts in Los Angeles County to Link Uninsured Children with Health Care. Recently, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $34.6 million in county Outreach, Enrollment, Retention, and Utilization (OERU) grants from the final state budget 2007-08. More than $9 million has been cut from the network of Los Angeles County agencies, threatening the collapse of the county’s already fragile infrastructure of schools, clinics and agencies working together to enroll uninsured children. |
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Saving School-Based Medicaid Administrative Claiming: What it is, Why and How CMS Plans to End it and What it Means to California
A new federal rule prohibits local educational agencies from claiming federal Medicaid reimbursement for school-based Medicaid administrative activities(known as SMAA in California) and for home-to-school transportation for special education students. Schools across the state are using their SMAA reimbursements to expand Medi-Cal/Healthy Families outreach efforts (such as Express Lane Eligibility and Teachers for Healthy Kids) and to pay for expanded school health services (school nurses, health aides, therapeutic services that the district would otherwise not be able to support, etc.). This new brief explains how the new federal rule impacts California. |
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Financial Stability of Healthy Kids Programs
Since 2001, 25 California counties have formed Children's Health Initiatives (CHIs) to design and offer health insurance products known as "Healthy Kids" for low-income children ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. CHIs are locally funded through a mix of private and public funds. An evaluation of these CHIs finds that funding in certain counties is not keeping up with the demand, leading to enrollment freezes or waiting lists. This brief highlights the latest findings on the financial sustainability of Healthy Kids programs. |
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How Far Can the Healthy Kids Program Go in Closing Coverage Gaps for Children in Los Angeles County? A Baseline Analysis With the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey
Prepared by the Urban Institute, this brief finds that one in every 10 children in Los Angeles County lacked health insurance coverage in 2002/2003. This brief uses L.A. County Health Survey data to assess how these children could be reached. |
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How Far Can the Healthy Kids Program Go in Closing Coverage Gaps for Children in Los Angeles County? A Baseline Analysis With the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey - Executive Summary
Executive Summary |
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Access Gaps Among Uninsured Children in Los Angeles County: Baseline Findings from the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey
Prepared by The Urban Institute, this brief finds that six out of 10 low-income, uninsured children in Los Angeles County had difficulty accessing needed medical care in 2002/2003. Based on the Los Angeles County Health Survey, it appears that L.A.’s Children’s Health Initiative has the potential to improve access to health care services for these children if they enroll in public health programs.
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Access Gaps Among Uninsured Children in Los Angeles County: Baseline Findings from the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey - Executive Summary
Executive Summary |
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Variation in Access to Care for Low-Income Children with Public Coverage: Baseline Findings from the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey
Prepared by The Urban Institute, this brief uses the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey to examine the variation in health care access and use among children with public coverage prior to the Initiative. It appears that certain subgroups are experiencing problems. The Children’s Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles will not have as great an impact on improving children’s health unless these barriers are addressed. |
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Variation in Access to Care for Low-Income Children with Public Coverage: Baseline Findings from the 2002/2003 Los Angeles County Health Survey - Executive Summary
Executive Summary |
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The CHDP Gateway: Barriers to Successful Enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families
The CHDP Gateway: Barriers to Successful Enrollment in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families examines the successes and lessons learned from the Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, which is designed to be an access point for eligible uninsured children to enroll in Medi-Cal of Healthy Families. The report looks to understand barriers to enrollment and suggest ways to enhance the efficiency of the program and increase access for these children. |
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Churning and Racial Disparities in Medi-Cal
Churning and Racial Disparities in Medi-Cal, a report commissioned by The California Endowment, examines churning (when children are disenrolled in public programs only to be re-enrolled after a short period of time) from July 2002 through June 2005. It also looks at whether churning disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority children in Medi-Cal. |
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Policy Framework for Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization for Health Care Coverage in California
This report describes the experiences and successes of local programs, such as Children's Health Initiatives, in providing health coverage to all children and families throughout California. The findings can help increase the knowledge and capacity to ensure the effectiveness of outreach, enrollment and retention policies, systems and strategies. |
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Monitoring the Expansion of Children's Health Initiatives in California
Healthy Kids programs, both operational and planned, have now emerged in 31 counties and have enrolled more than 85,000 children, changing the insurance landscape for children in the state. This evaluation brief describes the experiences of and challenges faced by these innovative programs. |
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Estimated Cost and Coverage Impacts of Four Proposals to Expand Health Insurance Coverage for Children in California
This summary report from The Lewin Group, a leading national health care consulting firm, compares four proposals to expand health insurance coverage for children in California using a standardized methodology. The assessment helps provides policymakers with an independent and unbiased analysis of the different policy options and choices |
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Oral Health: Successes and Opportunities for Children's Health Initiatives
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspect of health is oral health. This issue brief, prepared for The California Endowment, addresses the issue of access to dental care for children. |
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Estimated Cost and Coverage Impacts of Three Policy Proposals to Expand Health Insurance Coverage For Children in California
A new report by The Lewin Group compares the cost estimates and coverage impacts of three different proposals designed to expand health coverage for California's kids. |
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Estimated Cost and Coverage Impacts of Three Policy Proposals to Expand Health Insurance Coverage For Children in California - Appendix A
Appendix A |
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Estimated Cost and Coverage Impacts of Three Policy Proposals to Expand Health Insurance Coverage For Children in California - Executive Summary
Executive Summary |
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The Path to Accessing Health Coverage: Outreach, Enrollment, Retention and Utilization
California still faces the reality of more than 800,000 uninsured children. This policy brief identifies future challenges and opportunities and puts forward principles to strengthen outreach, enrollment, retention and utilization in California. |
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Increasing Enrollment and Retention in Children’s Health Insurance Statewide Programs Through Trained Assistors
This report highlights how critical trained assistors are in making the enrollment process work for families and to maximizing the number of children enrolled in health coverage programs. The report's recommendations are designed to establish assistors as professionals and to assure ongoing and high-quality assistance is available to families throughout California. |
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Increasing Enrollment and Retention in Children’s Health Insurance Statewide Programs Through Trained Assistors - Executive Summary
Executive Summary |
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Reaching Out and Reaching In: Understanding Efforts to Identify and Enroll Uninsured Children into Health Insurance Programs
This report provides a review of what is known about the effectiveness of outreach and enrollment strategies, and a framework for ways to evaluate the future outreach and enrollment programs. In California, many counties and their private partners and funders are refining and expanding their existing outreach and enrollment efforts to more effectively reach a broader range of families. |
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California Report Card 2005
This nonpartisan study by Children NOW, funded in-part by The California Endowment, assigns letter grades to the critical issues affecting children's well-being, such as a "D" in obesity, a "D+" in K-12 education and a "B-" in health insurance. Comprehensive data are presented on all key indicators of children's well-being in terms of their health, education and economic security. Overall, the report finds California is failing to meet children's needs despite strong public will for children to be the top policy priority. |
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Health…In Brief: Health Insurance Coverage for All Children: A Goal Within Reach
It is well-documented that health insurance improves the health of children. Yet, about 1 million California children age 18 and under lack health insurance. Providing health coverage for all children is not only a worthwhile social goal, it is a feasible policy objective that makes good financial sense for California now and in the future. |
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Health in Brief…California Communities Lead the Way in Covering All Kids
Prepared by The California Endowment, this brief describes concrete efforts to reform and simplify the health care system and presents policy changes that will sustain and expand them to enable all children to obtain health insurance and become healthy productive members of society. |
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Kids at Risk: Declining Employer-Based Health Coverage in California and the United States: A Crisis for Working Families
This study, funded by The California Endowment, analyzes children’s health insurance trends in the United States and California from 2000 to 2004, examines the impact of premium price increases on health insurance coverage, and predicts coverage rates over the next five years. |
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Employers and Children’s Health: Creating a Roadmap for the Future
A key sampling of California employers say providing health care for all children is the right thing to do and business leaders want to be a part of the solution, according to a report released today by The California Endowment. Increased premiums, in some cases double-digit increases, are squeezing employers and driving up the number of uninsured workers and their dependents nationwide. |
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How Much Does Churning in Medi-Cal Cost?
This report examines the stability of enrollment in both Medi-Cal and health plans, the proportion of children who leave these programs only to be subsequently re-enrolled, and the costs to the state of California of processing and re-processing the same eligible children. The report was commissioned by The California Endowment from Gerry Fairbrother, Ph.D., of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center through a grant to the New York Academy of Medicine. |
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Analysis of Cost Estimates of Expanding Children's Health Coverage
This policy framework commissioned by The Endowment includes estimates for the number of uninsured California children based on 2001/2003 data from the California Health Interview Survey, along with estimates for the total costs of covering all children in the state and potential sources of revenue. |
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Children's Insurance Coverage Increases as Result of Public Program Expansion
Children's Health Initiatives (CHIs) in 10 of California's counties are working toward increasing the number of kids ages 0-18 with health coverage through a variety of strategies, with 17 additional counties in the planning phases for their CHIs. This news release announces health coverage premium subsidy grants by The California Endowment to eight CHIs throughout the state. |
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Building an On-Ramp to Children’s Health Coverage: A Report on California’s Express Lane Eligibility Program
This report documents the successes and current policy and procedural barriers to enrolling eligible but uninsured children through California's Express Lane Eligibility initiative, which has been piloted in 72 schools in five school districts across the state. |
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Many Uninsured Children Qualify for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families
This policy brief, created by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research examines the eligibility rates of uninsured children within various legislative districts. |
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Go Where They Are: Working with Child Care Program to Reach Uninsured California Children
Created by the 100% Campaign, a grantee of The California Endowment, this new report estimates that 170,000 uninsured children attending California day care centers and homes are eligible for free or low-cost health insurance, but are not enrolled. It also recommends ways to increase health insurance enrollment among children. |
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California’s Express Enrollment Program: Lessons from the Medi-Cal/School Lunch Pilot Program—And Suggested Next Steps in Making Enrollment Gateways Efficient and Effective
Two recently issued reports evaluate the work of -- and detail the policy lessons learned from -- the Express Lane Enrollment pilot program, which enrolled eligible, uninsured children into health insurance through their school lunch program. The California Endowment was a major funder of this pilot. |
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California Survey Findings: School Health Centers
California voters revealed strong support for school health centers in a 2006 survey conducted by Lake Research Partners. The survey, which was commissioned by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The California Endowment, also asked voters about what kinds of services should be provided and how these health centers should be funded. |
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Maximizing Societal Contributions
Nearly one-fourth of Latino children in California don’t have health insurance, and the lack of preventive care has far-reaching consequences on society, according to a study issued by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture. |
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Statewide Survey: Children's Health Care Coverage
Nearly seven in 10 voters believe that California’s health care system needs significant overhaul and overwhelmingly support major reforms, according to a new nonpartisan survey recently conducted for The California Endowment by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies. In addition, more than 76 percent of those surveyed insist that whatever actions are taken this year by policymakers to reform California’s health care system must include providing health care coverage to all children. |
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Report Examines the Cost of Inconsistent Health Coverage
A new report commissioned by The California Endowment finds that gaps in health coverage for children enrolled in Medi-Cal cause a dramatic rise in costs. Costs of Care for Medi-Cal Children After a Gap in Coverage examines the Medi-Cal claims of children who were enrolled in the program for six months, experienced a gap in coverage for at least three months and then re-enrolled. Results show that the total cost of care after the gap were almost twice as much as before the break in coverage. |
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Three Independent Evaluations of Healthy Kids Programs Find Dramatic Gains in Well-Being of Children and Families
This brief presents highlights from rigorous, independent evaluations of the Healthy Kids programs in three California counties, Los Angeles, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. The three Healthy Kids programs provide children with comprehensive health insurance coverage. Children are eligible for Healthy Kids if they are ineligible for California's two major state insurance programs, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, and live in families with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties, and 400 percent of the FPL in San Mateo County. This brief describes some of the many positive impacts that Healthy Kids programs have had on children, including improvements in their access to and use of medical services and reductions in their unmet need for care. |
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