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Eureka Times-Standard
March 13, 2006
Times-Standard Editorial
The coalition working to increase the availability of health
insurance for children announced that families may be signing
up as early as July.
The steering committee for the Children's Health Initiative
met recently to move forward with plans to insure at least
1,500 Humboldt County children.
The coalition is following a model across the state --
including Del Norte County, which started on this work more
than a year ago -- to make sure all children can get health
insurance. The effort includes signing up children who qualify
for the state-subsidized Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs
and creating insurance to offer to families who don't qualify
for those programs.
The group learned that the California HealthCare Foundation
has agreed to a five-to-one match to cover premiums for children
signed up for the CaliforniaKids program. That will likely
bring about $500,000 dollars into the county to provide health
care for children of the working poor.
The program is being developed for those who don't have
private insurance and aren't eligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy
Families. Medical, dental and vision care will be covered.
Families will pay a small percentage of the premium but no
more than $20 per child.
The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services,
the Community Health Alliance of Humboldt-Del Norte, First
5 Humboldt, St. Joseph Health System, Mad River Community
Hospital, schools, clergy and others have been working since
August 2005 to find a way to raise funds to provide insurance
for all of Humboldt County's children.
"It has been remarkable how much support we've been able to
secure in our community and throughout the state in such a
short amount of time," said Humboldt County Supervisor Bonnie
Neely in a press release. Neely is co-chair of the Children's
Health Initiative along with 5th District Supervisor Jill
Geist.
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