Nearly a half-million uninsured children in California are eligible for public insurance programs, but aren’t enrolled. That’s one of the key findings of a new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.
The report finds a lot of children are still falling through the public insurance cracks, despite increased enrollment in the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs.
Dr. Richard Brown directs the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. He says a growing number of children have been losing coverage their families had provided through a parent’s employment.
Brown: And those kids don’t know about the program yet. Their families may think that the children aren’t eligible, and so they’re not getting enrolled. And we need to do more targeted outreach to those families.
State lawmakers have budgeted more money for outreach and enrollment efforts. About one out of ten children in the state are uninsured. Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
