How
Schools Can Help to Enroll Children in Health Insurance Programs
School staff
can be instrumental in efforts to enroll eligible children in free
or low-cost health insurance. Conducting child health insurance
outreach at school is a common sense, high-impact strategy for a
number of reasons:
School
staff see the problems first hand. Schools are one place
where the negative effects of a lack of medical attention are directly
felt. Teachers and other school staff often can detect student performance
problems linked to health concerns. Screening children for eligibility
for free or low-cost health insurance, and then making sure they
get signed up, are the first steps toward helping them get needed
care.
Schools
may already provide health services. Schools may provide
some health services, either through a school-based clinic or a
visiting or in-school nurse or counselor. Staff who provide these
services can help students get health coverage too. If the school
is already certified to receive Medicaid reimbursements, helping
students enroll in Medicaid is in its financial interest. Schools
may need to coordinate closely with local managed care organizations
to work out the details of serving children in the Medicaid program.
Schools
are trusted institutions. Parents tend to trust schools
and the information they provide. Hearing about Medicaid or other
child health insurance programs from their child零 school may diminish
the stigma that is often associated with receiving public benefits.
School
staff may have eligible children. Many school or school-related
employees may have incomes which would make their children eligible
for Medicaid or other child health insurance programs. As a local
employer, schools can provide information about these opportunities.
There are many
ways schools can connect kids with free and low-cost insurance including:
- Enlisting
school staff and students: School nurses, social workers, guidance
counselors, coaches and teachers can be the source of information
and assistance. Students also can be involved in outreach efforts.
- Distributing
written materials:Informational flyers can be distributed at PTA
meetings, in school newsletters, with report cards or school lunch
menus, at kindergarten registration, or sign-ups for extracurricular
activities. - Making health
insurance outreach activities a part of routine school registration
activities: When children are registering for school either as
kindergartners or as new students, parents often are asked for
various kinds of health-related information such as a child零
immunization status or who to call in case of a health emergency.
This is a logical time to ask families if they would like assistance
getting health insurance for their children. - Using the
school meal application process: Children who are eligible for
free or reduced-price meals often are eligible for Medicaid or
other child health insurance programs. At school lunch application
time families can be alerted to the opportunity to obtain health
insurance for their children. Send home information about the
availability of free or low-cost health insurance with the applications
for school meals.
CHIP Outreach
Resources for Schools
There
are several organizations and agencies working to link kids with
free and low-cost insurance.
- The Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities offers successful examples
of how schools are linking kids with health insurance using the
above strategies, and outreach materials for schools and communities
interested in reaching kid with free and low-cost insurance. - U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the School
Lunch Program, has developed several prototype(sample) free and
reduced-price meal applications that can be used for the purpose
of conducting outreach to children who may not have health insurance. - US
Health Care Financing Administration
(HCFA) offers an online CHIP Outreach Information Clearinghouse
that includes overviews of outreach strategies, promising programs,
upcoming outreach programs, and links to other key resources for
CHIP outreach. - Children’s
Defense Fund offers a number of outreach resources including
customized flyers for each state’s CHIP program in English and
Spanish, a CHIP Toolkit designed to assist local groups in informing
families about enrolling children, a progress report for each
state, and key facts on uninsured children.
CHIP Resources
for Families