Health Insurance for Every Child

Despite irrefutable evidence that health insurance is a child's ticket to getting basic health care, millions of children, especially those whose parents work at low-wage jobs, remain uninsured today. The goal of our program is to assure that every child has health insurance coverage and that it is easy for them to enroll, use health services, and stay insured. Read more about our health work below.

Cuts to California's Healthy Families Program Leaves Nearly One Million Children with Nowhere to Go for Health Coverage

California's Governor and Legislature have made devastating cuts to Healthy Families, California's Children's Health Insurance Program, leaving nearly one million children at risk of losing access to affordable health coverage. Tens of thousands of children have already been denied access to Healthy Families. The Children's Partnership is working with its partners in the 100% Campaign to rebuild Healthy Families and ensure all eligible children get the health coverage they need. Please visit http://www.100percentcampaign.org for more information.

schip reauthorization

President Obama reauthorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on February 4, 2009, by signing into law H.R. 2, The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. The Children's Partnership has issued a statement applauding the President's signing of this bill.

The Children's Partnership also released a statment supporting the U.S. Senate's January 29 passage of S.275, a bill to reauthorize SCHIP. Full Bill Text

On January 14, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (H.R. 2) to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program by more than a two-to-one margin (289-139). Full Bill Text.

Health Policy Statement

The Children's Partnership's Health Policy Statement outlines what the new Presidential administration and the 111th Congress should do to make America's children a priority in 2009.

California Campaign to Cover All Children

Working in the most populous state in the nation with the largest number of uninsured children, we joined in 1997 with the Children's Defense Fund and Children Now to mount the 100% Campaign. This is a sustained campaign that works to keep the issue of health insurance for all children in the forefront of policy debates and presses for policy advances toward our goal of securing health insurance for every California child. We have also joined forces with PICO California Project and United Way of California and a broad base of organizations across the state in a targeted and focused campaign to ensure coverage for all children. Download the campaign print ad or radio ad highlighting the need to cover all children or visit www.100percentcampaign.org to learn more about these efforts.

ENROLLING AND KEEPING CHILDREN IN HEALTH INSURANCE

The Children's Partnership works at the national and state level to ensure funding for Medicaid and SCHIP, to increase coverage options for all children and to streamline enrollment and renewal procedures so that children can enroll, and remain enrolled, in available programs. Download our national E-Health Snapshot: Harnessing Technology to Improve Medicaid and SCHIP Enrollment and Retention Practices, which looks at promising ways to use technology to create simpler, more effective enrollment and retention systems. Learn more about how E-Enrollment is helping state Medicaid and SCHIP programs make health insurance enrollment and renewal more efficient for families and accountable to the public. Download our national report Opening Doorways to Health Care for Children, which recommends using commonly used doorways, like hospitals, to make it easier to children to obtain coverage. Also read our California report Children Falling through the Health Insurance Cracks, which deatails how to ensure children with health insurance do not needlessly lose that coverage.

The Children's Partnership is also a partner with Families USA on their Campaign for Children's Health Care. The campaign is dedicated to making the availability of health insurance coverage for all of America's children a top national priority. Visit the campaign's Web site for more information.

Express Lane Eligibility

With so many children already eligible for public health insurance, yet not enrolled, The Children's Partnership began a research and development program to explore ways to streamline systems and bring millions of children into health coverage. Express Lane Eligibility emerged as an innovative policy idea that makes it easier for parents to enroll their children into public health insurance in schools, child care centers, WIC programs, etc., where large numbers of uninsured children are located. The Children's Partnership works, through policy development, education, and technical assistance, at the federal and state level to assist in the implementation of Express Lane Eligibility.

Express Lane Eligibility: California Pilot Program

The Children's Partnership, with The California Endowment and the Blue Shield of California Foundation, launched a program to assist around 100 schools in eight districts across California to pilot Express Lane. The pilot program is structured to identify and implement any needed adjustments, to build support with key constituents, and to ensure that the programs work smoothly before being take to scale.

Partnership with Small Businesses in California

The Children's Partnership works with business leaders on obtaining health insurance coverage for children because most uninsured children have a parent in the workplace, often a small business. We have partnered with small business associations, including the California Small Business Association and Small Business California, on several projects that connect small business with viable health insurance options for employees and their families. Download our brochure, What the Small Business Owner Should Know," to learn more.