A study by the Urban Institute shows some 700,000 California children who are eligible for state paid health programs are not enrolled. That's a third of the state’s 1.5 million uninsured children.
Families of three that earn $46,000 or less can have their children qualify for programs like Medi-Cal. State agencies used to have programs that targeted children who qualified for enrollment, however most of those programs have been cut in response to growing deficits.
Yet, Kelly Hardy, with the advocacy group, Children Now, say uncovered kids cost the state more because tax and premium payers help shoulder the costs when they are sick.
"And our state has to step up to the plate and take action to enroll those kids in affordable programs," said Hardy.
During the next five years, the federal government will concentrate heavily on locating eligible children and enrolling them in government paid or subsidized programs. That includes paying for marketing programs.
