Governor Launches New Campaign to Educate Families about Healthy Kids

Portland —Governor Ted Kulongoski today was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to launch a new Healthy Kids Sports Campaign, bringing parents, coaches, schools and community partners together to educate families about the availability of the Healthy Kids Program for uninsured children of all income levels.

The campaign is part of Oregon’s response to Secretary Sebelius’ “Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge,” which calls upon leaders in all levels of government, public agencies, community-based groups, health and human services providers, the faith community and others to reach out and enroll the 5 million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program but are not enrolled.

Nearly 54,000 of Oregon’s 80,000 uninsured children have enrolled since the plan was created by Governor Kulongoski and passed during the 2009 legislative session.

“I am proud of this achievement – especially during this difficult economic time when parents have enough to worry about. Ensuring their child has access to quality, comprehensive health care when they need it shouldn’t be one of those worries,” Governor Kulongoski said.

Today, while speaking with Secretary Sebelius at an event at a Portland high school, Governor Kulongoski said it is time to go the rest of the way and enroll all eligible but uninsured children into the state’s health coverage program. The state is on schedule to meet the goal of enrolling 80,000 uninsured children by the end of 2010, which means 95 percent of all Oregon children will have health insurance.

“While we have been successful in enrolling children, we still have a population of children from birth to 19 years old who are eligible for the program and not enrolled. That is not acceptable to me – and it shouldn’t be acceptable to any Oregonian,” said the Governor.

The Governor called on all Oregonians to spread the word about Healthy Kids, particularly school and community sports coaches. Because children who play sports need a physical exam and health coverage to play, the state is partnering with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a statewide campaign aimed at coaches.

“So please, coaches across Oregon, join us in this effort. Your victories on the field are important, but the greatest victory for Oregon will be when all of our children have the health coverage they need,” said the Governor.

Healthy Kids provides several options for families to obtain health insurance for their children, depending on income level.

No Cost: The plan provides free coverage through the Oregon Health Plan for children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level (or $44,100 for a family of four).

Low-Cost: The program offers a cost-share model to assist Oregon’s middle-class families earning too much to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, but too little to purchase private insurance on their own. On a sliding scale, these families share in the cost of a new state-sponsored private insurance plan called Healthy KidsConnect.

Families who qualify for either No Cost or Low-Cost coverage may opt to get assistance to pay for their child’s coverage through their employer-sponsored plan instead.

Full Cost: For children in families with incomes above 300 percent of the federal poverty level (or $66,000 for a family of four), parents may buy into Healthy KidsConnect at full cost.

No child is turned away for a preexisting medical condition. Parents can learn more about Healthy Kids and apply online at www.oregonhealthykids.gov or by calling 1-877-314-5678.