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Two in Five Uninsured Calif. Children in Report Had No Medical Care Yet Most Are Eligible for Low-Cost or Free Health Care Coverage; Campaign Launched to Enroll Kids

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Nearly two out of five (37.4 percent) uninsured children in California went without any medical care for an entire year, according to a report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of their nationwide Back- to-School Campaign. The report also found that 55 percent of uninsured children in California did not have someone they consider their personal doctor or nurse. This lack of regular health care interrupts continuity of care and can lead to chronic conditions going undiagnosed.

Another analysis by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that nearly nine in 10 (87 percent) of the more than 235,000 uninsured Los Angeles county children are eligible for but not enrolled in low-cost or free health care coverage available through Medi-Cal for Children, Healthy Families or Healthy Kids. Taken together, these studies suggest that nearly 200,000 Los Angeles county children are needlessly suffering the consequences of not having health care coverage.

"Our children are not receiving the health care they need," said Cynthia Telles, board chair of The California Endowment. "They're even missing out on annual checkups that will prevent the more serious medical conditions down the road. We owe it to parents to make sure that affordable quality health care is available to all children." The California Endowment is committed to making sure that a plan would be in place by 2007 to have all California's children be provided with health coverage.

Children's health organizations joined together today to launch an effort in California to enroll eligible, uninsured children in low-cost or free health care coverage programs. Local organizations leading this effort include the Covering Kids & Families and the Los Angeles Access to Health Coverage coalitions, both projects of Community Health Councils, Inc.; the Children's Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles; The California Endowment; L.A. Care Health Plan; First 5 LA; Los Angeles County Department of Health Services; Los Angeles County Office of Education; Los Angeles Unified School District; and the Venice Family Clinic.

Los Angeles is one of six cities in the United States selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for an enhanced outreach campaign to encourage families to put enrolling their kids in health care coverage programs at the top of their back-to-school checklist. Today's launch included enrollment at the Venice Family Clinic, the nation's largest free clinic. Speakers included Neal Baer and Dann Florek, executive producer and program co-star of NBC's Law & Order: SVU, as well as community leaders, and a family enrolled in Healthy Families.

"The sad fact is we're not talking about a made-for-television drama. We are talking about 8.4 million real children without health care coverage-235,000 right here in Los Angeles county," said Neal Baer, executive producer of Law & Order: SVU and a pediatrician. "Fortunately, there can be a happy ending to the story: low-cost and free health care coverage is available for many uninsured kids if we get them enrolled."

Medi-Cal for Children, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids provide comprehensive medical care, including immunizations, well-child visits, emergency medical care, and prescription drugs.

Los Angeles County residents interested in applying for low-cost or free health care coverage can call 888-4LA-KIDS. Families in other counties should call 800-880-5305 to find out if their kids are eligible and begin the enrollment process. A family of three earning up to $48,000 a year or more may qualify.

An estimated 4 million California children are currently receiving coverage through Medi-Cal for Children, Healthy Families and Healthy Kids. However, 780,000 children remain uninsured in California. To ensure long-term sustainability of these coverage programs, local advocates have joined with other Children's Health Initiatives and organizations across the state to pursue a statewide policy solution that would provide health coverage for all children in California.

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"Going Without: America's Uninsured Children" was prepared by analysts at the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, located at the University of Minnesota, and the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. The report analyzes data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, including the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health and the 2003 National Health Interview Survey. To view the research report (including state-level data), locate Covering Kids & Families activities or download materials in English or Spanish, visit http:/ /www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org .

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research analysis is based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. For more information, visit http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu .

The Venice Family Clinic's mission is to improve the health of people and communities through accessible, quality care. Founded in 1970, the Clinic has grown from a small storefront operation into the largest free clinic in the nation. It provides free comprehensive primary health care, mental health services, health education and child development services as well as public insurance enrollment to more than 21,000 patients, including more than 5000 children, who make 105,000 visits. The clinic today has more than 1,580 volunteers and receives more than $5 million dollars in in- kind contributions from hospitals, laboratories, specialty care providers and pharmaceutical companies.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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