FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 22, 2007
Contact: (919) 828-1819
Ania Boer, HC/NCHC outreach campaign coordinator
Vivian Muzyk,
communications specialist
New partnership strives to insure more children in North Carolina
Expansion of the Health Check/ NC Health Choice outreach campaign
(Raleigh, NC) - When families lose jobs they face not only loss of income but also any employer-based health insurance they may have had. Sadly, their children also lose health coverage. To help families in such difficult situations, the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, the NC Division of Public Health and the Employment Security Commission of North Carolina have partnered to promote the availability of free or low-cost health insurance for eligible North Carolina children.
Health Check (the Medicaid program for children) and NC Health Choice cover children up to age 19 and 21 in some cases. Which program the children qualify for depends on the family's income and size. Even children who are members of a family of four that earns $41,300 a year may qualify. The program also covers children living with grandparents, family members or friends. For families that qualify, Health Check (Medicaid) and NC Health Choice cover medical needs including well-child checkups, medicines, sick visits, dental care, hospital care, lab tests, counseling, therapies, surgeries, medical equipment and supplies, immunizations, as well as vision and hearing care. Additional benefits may be available for children with special health care needs.
"Employment Security Commission offices are perfectly positioned to share this message," said State ESC Office Manager of Applicant Services Diane Smith. "ESC staff help families access needed resources during a stressful time and private coverage is particularly expensive for those who have lost employer-based health insurance. Knowing about North Carolina's child health insurance programs may reduce financial stress and give parents peace of mind."
The goal of the partnership is to assure that families learn about NC's child health insurance programs. When newly unemployed parents apply in person at the local ESC office, they will receive information about these state programs. After March 22, all 90 ESC offices across the state that handle unemployment claims will have received orientation training and will distribute program materials. They will also display posters with the HC/ NCHC message in English and Spanish.
Local Health Check coordinators, who assumed primary responsibility for orienting ESC staff, said the partnership was successful and ESC offices showed great interest in passing the information to the clients they serve. "The venture has opened a tremendous door for both our program and health education from our health department," said Gwen Stephens who oriented the ESC staff in Burke County. Mary Barker said the ESC in Dare County will be working with her to "assist as many eligible families as possible." And when Cheryl Swink oriented the ESC staff in Cherokee County she was invited to join the ESC's Rapid Response Team. "We spoke to a group of people at a local plant in Graham County who were being laid off from their jobs," Swink said. "I was excited to be able to speak to these people about health insurance for their children."
In 2005, 264,000 North Carolina children (approximately 12% of the state'’s children) were uninsured. However, 841,840 were enrolled in Health Check or NC Health Choice, according to Action for Children'’s 2006 North Carolina Child Health Report Card. Still, more children qualify and could receive health coverage.
Parents whose children qualify for these programs often don't believe they do, according to a survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide-Research Firm. Top barriers to insuring children are parent'’s lack of knowledge about eligibility and the application process and language barriers. That is why the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation produces free educational materials in Spanish and English, as well as a HC/ NCHC fact sheet in Hmong, that list income guidelines.
With 176,000 educational materials shipped from the Foundation to the ESC offices last November, the HC/ NCHC outreach through ESC has been a great success. Families who want to find out more about children's health insurance programs in North Carolina should call the NC Family Health Resource Line at: 1-800-367-2229. The bilingual staff will inform the family about income qualifications, benefits and how to apply. They will also mail information and an application form.
The N.C. Healthy Start Foundation, a
nonprofit organization established in 1990, conducts
ongoing public education campaigns, advises state and
local policy makers, and provides technical assistance
and professional training focused on reducing infant
death and illness and improving the health of women
and young children in N.C.
