70,000 children expected to sign up for health insurance

Enrollment for new children begins Saturday in the state-subsidized HealthyKids insurance program.

By ALISA ULFERTS
Published December 30, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - The state expects to sign up about 70,000 new children for a popular subsidized health insurance program during a monthlong open enrollment beginning Saturday.

The HealthyKids program provides low-cost insurance for children whose families meet certain income requirements but make too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Starting today, parents can download application forms off the program Web site HealthyKids.org or they can call toll-free 1-888-540-5437 (1-888-540-KIDS) to ask questions or request an application be mailed to them.

The state has hundreds of employees standing by almost 400 available phone lines to handle the expected rush, said Rose Naff, director of KidCare, the umbrella program the includes HealthyKids. The enrollment period ends Jan. 30.

It is the first time in almost 18 months that the state has accepted new enrollees into the program, and with recent changes simplifying the application process, more than 100,000 families are expected to apply, Naff said.

Lawmakers added KidCare to their special session earlier this month after hearing that tens of thousands of low-income kids could lose coverage because of additional income verification requirements legislators passed last spring.

State officials estimated 15,000 to 50,000 kids might have lost their coverage because their parents did not or could not provide the extensive documentation required to renew their children in the program.

So in December, lawmakers repealed the additional requirements and agreed that families would only have to provide one form of income verification, preferably a copy of a federal income tax return, to prove eligibility.

Lawmakers did not undo other changes they made earlier this year over the protest of many social service advocates, including eliminating a politically embarrassing waiting list and barring most children from HealthyKids if their parents have access to other private health insurance.

To qualify for the program, a family of four would have an income no greater than about $37,000; those families would pay between $15 and $20 per child per month for comprehensive health coverage.

Families with higher incomes can enroll their child for $92 a month, depending on available slots.

Open enrollment applies to children who have never been in the program before; those who have received coverage can apply for renewal any time during the year, Naff said.

[Last modified December 30, 2004, 00:38:21]