The Campaign for Children s Health

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1 The Campaign for Children s Health Case Statement One Uninsured Child is One Too Many.

2 About CHI The Children s Health Initiative Napa County (CHI) is a nonprofit organization that leads a welltested public/private effort to expand health insurance coverage of Napa County s children (birth through 18) living at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Mission: To secure affordable health insurance for lower income children and to connect them with the healthcare services they need. Organization History The children we serve do not have human resource departments or insurance brokers to help them navigate the complex enrollment process and access appropriate health care services. They have CHI, a locally funded non-profit dedicated to meeting their health insurance needs. As a result of our work, thousands of children now have eyeglasses to see in school, the dental services they need to take care of their beautiful smiles, and the healthcare available to make sure they are healthy throughout their childhood. Children with health insurance miss fewer school days, perform better in school, and live healthier, more productive lives. This work is made possible by contributions from community members like yourself. -Mark Diel Executive Director 2005 CHI Napa County launched Began pilot enrollment project at 3 Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) schools 8,405 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance 2006 Expanded NVUSD 100% Enrollment Campaign to 31 schools 9,443 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance 2007 Expanded 100% Enrollment Campaign to Calistoga schools 10,418 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance 2008 Expanded partnership with County Health & Human Services (HHS) including staffing support 3 days/week 11,791 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance 2009 Expanded 100% Enrollment Campaign to Napa County Office of Education (NCOE) Began screening for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP) 12,772 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance 2010 Expanded 100% Enrollment Campaign to St. Helena schools Contracted with One-e-App to create a seamless integrated enrollment system with 9 partner agencies 13,657 children enrolled in subsidized health insurance

3 CHI Clients in Napa County CHI serves low to mid income children 0-18 and pregnant women throughout Napa County who lack health insurance coverage. It s so very important that we continue this Children s Health Initiative and that we continue to invest in it. Why would we want to go back to what we had before, where children weren t covered? That just doesn t make any sense. We need to make sure all the children in Napa County are covered with health insurance and we continue that in a sustainable program long into the future. -Bill Dodd, Napa County Board of Supervisors Republican

4 CHI s Services Finding Uninsured Children 100% Enrollment Campaign implemented at 36 public schools. Enrollment activities at 35 health fairs and community events each year. Information about subsidized health insurance provided to over 20,000 individuals annually. Enrolling Families in Health Insurance Since 2005, CHI has enrolled over 7,500 previously uninsured children. 4,500 children are re-enrolled annually 1,500 previously uninsured children will be enrolled annually. Each uninsured child costs the local community $2,100 more per year than having that child insured. Teaching Families Healthcare Service Use CHI works with the parents of nearly 8,000 children each year to help overcome barriers to healthcare. Children enrolled in subsidized health insurance receive over $16,000,000 in compensated healthcare services from local providers. Had these children been uninsured it would have cost our local community $27,000,000 in 2009, in uncompensated care. Max s Story Max was 10 months old when his mother, Mary, was told he may have leukemia. Mary called CHI, in tears, because she did not have health insurance for her son. Her medical bills were mounting and she could not afford to take him to get the necessary tests. With proper medical attention leukemia is often treatable, but left untreated it can be fatal. Mary had already applied for Medi-Cal but her application had not yet been approved. CHI staff member, Julia, contacted the Medi- Cal Program Supervisor and explained the situation. The supervisor was able to expedite the application process and Mary s family was approved for full coverage retroactive to Max s initial visit. Mary was able to take Max to all his follow-up appointments and get all the necessary tests. After many exhausting hospital and doctor visits, Mary is ecstatic to report that Max is leukemia free. Max now has access to health care services that will help keep him healthy for his future. Food Stamp Enrollment Leveraging current screening intake to evaluate food stamp eligibility for children of low income families. 20,000 children screened annually.

5 CHI s Accomplishments Keeping Children Insured to Avoid Unnecessary Lapses in Coverage: Studies show that if a child has even a one month lapse in health insurance, its utilization of services drops to that of being uninsured. Children with health insurance miss less school, perform better in school, and are healthier. Parents of insured children miss fewer work days. Creating a No Wrong Door County-wide Enrollment System: CHI provides a single point of entry web-based enrollment and case management system to create a county-wide seamless system across 9 agencies. CHI trains 32 new certified application assistors that work at partner agencies. CHI provides 10 trainings sessions per year to local application assistors. Coordinating a 37 agency referral-and-enrollment network to create a no wrong door system of enrollment-and-case management Children Covered by Subsidized Health Insurance in Napa County CHI begins operations * *Earliest available data Children enrolled in subsidized health insurance receive over $16,000,000 in compensated healthcare related services from local providers. Had these children been uninsured it would have cost our local community approximately $27,000,000 last year in uncompensated care.

6 CHI & Federal Health Reform With the passage of federal healthcare reform in March, there will be an even greater need for Napa CHI and the services it provides to the Napa County community. Under healthcare reform, thousands more low- and moderate- income Napa County children (and their parents) will be eligible for federally subsidized health insurance programs through the new California Health Benefit Exchange as well as the Medi-Cal, Health Families and Healthy Kids programs. To take full advantage of these opportunities for children s coverage, our community must ensure that eligible families can enroll and stay enrolled. CHI is perfectly positioned to help make this happen. During the first five years of CHI s existence, the number of Napa County children enrolled in subsidized health insurance programs nearly doubled. This was due to the excellent outreach, enrollment and case management work performed by CHI staff. Parents of the children we serve often find the process of enrollment daunting and intimidating, CHI excels at assisting these families in wading through the cumbersome enrollment process. Under healthcare reform, eligibility for subsidized health insurance will continue to expand as new programs take shape. The need for experienced, trusted community-based guidance will be greater than ever. In this new era, CHI staff will continue to ensure that all members of our community especially our children fully utilize the appropriate healthcare services and maximize the opportunities made available under healthcare reform. I am proud of the progress our community has made towards insuring all of our children. The Children s Health Initiative is a model program, leading the state in insuring our children. Together, we have made great strides at the federal level to provide the policy framework and funding to expand affordable coverage to all Napa County residents. However, it will be up to our local community to find those who are uninsured, help them enroll in the appropriate insurance program, and teach them how to properly utilize the services now available to them. The work of the Children s Health Initiative will be as important as ever with the expansion of affordable health insurance coverage to thousands of individuals who previously could not afford health insurance coverage. Please join me in supporting the work of this incredible community resource. -Congressman Mike Thompson Democrat

7 CHI s Funding Needs Campaign for Kids Fund $2,000,000 The Children s Health Initiative has truly made a difference in the lives of thousands of families whose children would otherwise be uninsured. The numbers are there to prove it. Mark and his team have far exceeded expectations. Please join us in supporting this critical initiative for the greater community. -Dolores Cakebread & Margaret Duckhorn Creating a No Wrong Door county-wide enrollment system $75,000 Getting Families enrolled in Health Insurance $175,000 Finding uninsured children $225,000 The Children s Health Initiative (CHI) Napa County and the County of Napa have developed a unique public-private partnership to fill the critical role of connecting our most vulnerable residents to health coverage and nutrition services. CHI has played a leading role in ensuring that all children in Napa County have access to affordable health insurance and connecting them with needed healthcare services. - Randy Snowden Director, Health & Human Services Teaching families how to use healthcare services appropriately, efficiently, and overcoming barriers to care $225,000 Keeping children insured to avoid unnecessary lapses in coverage $300,000 Total Funding Goal: $3,000,000 One Uninsured Child is One Too Many.