07/15/10 – Boulder County Healthy Kids Becomes Presumptive Eligibility Site
by Christina OstromDirector, Boulder County Healthy Kids
When Boulder County Healthy Kids began in July 2008, the primary goal was to find and enroll every eligible child in Boulder County in public health insurance. At that time, Boulder County had some of the highest rates of eligible but not enrolled (EBNE) children in the state. The journey over the past two years has been challenging, intense and extremely rewarding.
The original plan was to train community-based organizations, already working with children and families, to assist with applications and document verification. Healthy Kids has partnered with 18 different agencies to offer onsite assistance and we've met many friends and advocates along the way.
Many of the barriers to enrollment that are familiar to most of us working in this field came to light early in the initiative. Families need help securing missing documents and often don't have the resources to pay for required paperwork. The initiative offers help paying for both in state and out of state birth certificates, and this type of assistance has been essential to a family's successful enrollment. The program also set up a fund for families who need assistance paying the CHP+ enrollment fee. Application assistance services are provided through programs clients are already connected with, and program staff and partners are committed to working together with families to complete the enrollment process from start to finish.
One critical piece to the program's success was becoming a Presumptive Eligibility (PE) site. PE sites can offer children and pregnant women same day Medicaid or CHP+ coverage temporarily while the application is processed. While it took some time to get the training and paperwork completed to become a PE site, it has been a wonderful benefit to offer for children experiencing immediate medical needs.
Currently, 98% of families who apply through Healthy Kids secure Medicaid or CHP+ coverage. Each new family who secures medical coverage is a return on that investment.
The Colorado Trust is the first foundation to fund Healthy Kids. For more information, contact Christina Ostrom.
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