As Millions of Kids Remain Uninsured, Corporate Community Steps Up to Promote Low-Cost and Free Health Care Coverage

7/31/2003

From: Karen Kirchgasser or Aimee Segal, 202-338-8700, both for Covering Kids & Families

WASHINGTON, July 31 -- New research from the Urban Institute's Assessing the New Federalism Project that was released today by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Covering Kids & Families program shows that more than 4 million American children are uninsured but do not need to be. These children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage programs but are not enrolled. To make sure these children get coverage, American corporations and businesses are working with Covering Kids & Families to let low-income, working parents know about the availability of these programs. Across the country, national, regional and local businesses are sharing their marketing channels and expertise with Covering Kids & Families in order to reach customers whose children are likely eligible for health care coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) or Medicaid.

According to the first in a series of Snapshots from the Urban Institute's 2002 National Survey of America's Families, 7.8 million children in the United States were uninsured in 2002. But the same study estimates that more than 4 million of these children are eligible for low-cost or free health care coverage through SCHIP or Medicaid.

"With unemployment at its highest level in almost a decade, the number of uninsured children could rise over the next year. That's why we need to redouble our efforts and work towards enrolling all uninsured children who are currently eligible," said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose Covering Kids & Families initiative launched its nationwide Back-to-School effort promoting enrollment in SCHIP and Medicaid. "The involvement of corporations in this effort shows how the private sector is playing a key role in improving the health and well-being of millions of American children by informing families about these programs."

According to the National Survey of America's Families, children enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid are 1.5 times more likely than uninsured children to receive well-child visits, other types of office visits and dental care. Uninsured children are three times more likely than those covered by SCHIP or Medicaid to lack a usual source of care, and 1.5 times more likely to have an unmet medical, dental or prescription drug need.

"Children in America need and deserve to arrive on the first day of school healthy and ready to learn," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D, M.P.H. "When children have health insurance, they have better access to the basic health care services they need to grow and be healthy."

The Urban Institute research also shows that the number of uninsured children decreased by 1.8 million over the past three years, largely because of increased enrollment in SCHIP and Medicaid. The decrease in the number of uninsured children occurred despite the fact that the U.S. Census Bureau showed an increase in the overall number of uninsured Americans in its last Current Population Survey. Covering Kids & Families corporate partners played a major role in letting eligible families know about opportunities for health care coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid. Over the past three years, these companies reached a potential cumulative audience of 450 million about the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage. National, regional and local companies played a crucial role across the country.

Capital One, one of the top ten credit card issuers, is unveiling a national partnership with Covering Kids & Families this fall. Capital One plans to alert customers to the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage programs for uninsured children. The company expects to use multiple customer communication points, including monthly billing statements and service center associates, to promote the national toll-free 1(877) KIDS-NOW number, which parents can call to learn if their children are eligible for coverage.

"This partnership fits in well with our corporate mission of providing valuable information and services to our customers and the community," said Rick Elliott, Director, Capital One Financial Corporation. "We are pleased to be working on this effort to reach families who could benefit from these programs."

Another Covering Kids & Families corporate partner, CVS/pharmacy, the largest retail pharmacy in the country, is reaching potentially eligible families through children's prescriptions. During the month of August, more than 3,000 CVS stores in 24 states and the District of Columbia will print information about SCHIP and Medicaid, and the national toll-free hotline number, on prescription information sheets. During last year's campaign, SCHIP and Medicaid information accompanied more than 2 million prescriptions for children during the same time period.

"Pharmacists are a trusted source for health care information and are often the first place parents go with questions about their family's health," said Jack Kramer, senior vice president of governmental affairs and corporate relations, CVS/pharmacy. "As a health care company, CVS is pleased to be working with Covering Kids & Families to help provide potentially eligible families with important information about available health care coverage programs."

In the Mid-Atlantic region, Giant Food LLC, with 193 Giant and Super G stores, will print health care coverage information and the national toll-free hotline number on hundreds of thousands of milk cartons beginning in October 2003. The milk cartons will be distributed throughout Giant's network of stores across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Giant will also place promotional materials in stores and consumer publications, and will host in-store enrollment events in the pharmacy department of select stores.

On the state and local levels, businesses are working with Covering Kids & Families coalition members to conduct outreach efforts. In Texas, more than 380 Payless ShoeSource stores will provide interested families with low-cost and free health care coverage program information.

Other companies and associations working with Covering Kids & Families include Albertsons, Inc., ARAMARK and H&R Block, along with associations such as the Amateur Athletic Union and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

"These partnerships demonstrate the important role the business community can play in reaching families and raising awareness of SCHIP and Medicaid," said Sarah Shuptrine, director of the Covering Kids & Families National Program Office. "By promoting the national toll-free number to families on milk cartons, grocery bags, children's prescriptions, monthly billing statements and other marketing outlets, we are reaching families with an important health care coverage message as they go about their day-to-day lives."

To learn more about low-cost and free health care coverage for children, families can call the toll-free 1-877-KIDS-NOW hotline. Callers will be automatically connected to their state program. Although eligibility varies by state, in most states, a family of four earning up to $36,000 a year or more may qualify for low-cost or free children's health care coverage.

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Covering Kids & Families, a program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national initiative to increase the number of children and adults who benefit from federal and state health care coverage programs. For more information, visit http://www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org.

The Urban Institute, located in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing the nation. The National Survey of America's Families is conducted under the Urban Institute's Assessing the New Federalism project. To view Snapshots, visit http://www.urban.org/r/snapshots.cfm.