More than a Quarter of Uninsured Children have a Parent with Employer-Based Coverage

About three million, or 27.9%, of the 8.1 million uninsured U.S. children have at least one parent with health insurance. Parents with health insurance typically are covered through a private employer-based insurance system, but many are unable to add dependents because of the added costs.

To address the coverage gap, the study suggests increasing public outreach and retention efforts to keep eligible children enrolled in public insurance benefits, easing prohibitive barriers and expanding SCHIP.

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 22, 2008

Hawaii Ends Universal Health Care Program for Children

Seven months after it started, Hawaii is ending funding for Keiki Care, its universal health care program for children because of state budget shortfalls. Starting November 1st, Hawaii no longer provides funding for the 2,000 children enrolled in the program, but private partner Hawaii Medical Service Association has agreed to pay for the children’s coverage through the end of 2008.

Families with children enrolled in Keiki Care are being encouraged to apply for Medicaid coverage or enroll in HMSA Children’s Plan, which costs about $55 per month. However, most are expected to have incomes too high to qualify for other programs. Read more at…

Source: Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report – October 17th, 2008