subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 21 2009 

Resources

print this story   Print this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Published November 02, 2009 02:29 pm - Gov. Steve Beshear announced Monday the state will reach its goal six months early for new enrollments of eligibile children in K-CHIP and Medicaid.

State makes headway on enrolling children in Medicaid insurance programs


By RONNIE ELLIS
CNHI News Service

FRANKFORT

Kentucky isn’t usually out in front on health issues. But Gov. Steve Beshear said one effort by his administration to improve Kentucky residents’ health is ahead of the game.

Beshear went to Second Street Elementary School in Frankfort on Monday morning to announce the state has enrolled 32,000 qualifying children in the state’s K-CHIP and Medicaid programs for health insurance since last October. Last fall, Beshear set as a goal the enrollment of 35,000 children by June 2010 and he said Monday the state is likely to meet the goal by the end of 2009.

The Kentucky Children’s Insurance Program or K-Chip insures children in families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $44,000 for a family of four). Those children are from families, according to Vikki Franklin, spokeswoman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but still can’t afford private insurance. Those who do meet Medicaid eligibility guidelines are enrolled in that program. Both programs are largely federally funded.

Janie Miller, secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said the total cost of the additional 32,000 kids enrolled in the two programs is about $78,000, about 20 percent of which is paid by the state and the remainder by the federal government. Miller also said the state exploited larger federal Medicaid matches to help absorb the state portion of the added costs. Those funds are scheduled to end in December 2010.

When Beshear last fall called for increased enrollment, about 53,000 Kentucky children were insured by the two programs but an estimated 67,000 were eligible but nor enrolled. The state streamlined the enrollment procedures and recruited schools, local health departments and community agencies to help get the word out to eligible families and help them enroll. The state made it possible to enroll online and eliminated the requirement for face-to-face interviews prior to enrollment.

It worked. About 2,500 enrolled in each month since the program began. But Beshear said that still doesn’t meet the actual need of eligible children and the state will continue to try to enroll as many as it can.

“The state will strive to sign up every eligible family because I believe we have a moral obligation to every child,” Beshear said. He said the numbers of eligible children and the increased enrollment reflect the state of the economy. And “access to quality, affordable health care” is increasingly difficult for Kentucky families who have lost jobs or homes, he added.

“Meeting our goal earlier than anticipated also serves as an indicator of the state of our economy and demonstrates the effect it has on families’ everyday lives,” Beshear said.

The executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a Louisville non-profit organization which advocates on issues affecting children and low-income families, praised Beshear for the program and its success.

Terry Brooks said KYA has lobbied state government for years “to see families as customers rather than as a burden on the state budget. The Beshear administration saw those potential K-CHIP families as customers.”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.



print this story    email this story   






autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

ELECTRICIAN WANTED. KY LICENSE PREFERRED.
OSHA 10 hr. 10+ years exp., commercial, EOE, Drug free workplace. Job is located in Glasgow, KY. Interested applicants c...>MORE

DENTAL HYGIENIST POSITION,
part time and or as needed. Send resume to P.O. Box 1172, Tompkinsville, KY 42167.

...>MORE

EXPERIENCED DENTAL ASSISTANT NEEDED
to work 2-3 days a week in a busy dental office, emphasizing in oral surgery. Pay commensurate on experience & backgroun...>MORE

ADULT THERAPIST
LifeSkills has a full-time Adult Therapist position available for our service center in Metcalfe County. The position is...>MORE

CAREER MINDED INDIVIDUALS SEARCHING FOR A HOME
We offer HOME ON WEEKENDS!!
2500 miles per week
100% no touch freight
No force dispatch to NYC. Safety &
...>MORE

MANAGEMENT (KEYHOLDER) POSITION WITH LOCAL
shoe store. Exciting career opportunity. Retail experience preferred. Competitive benefit package. Apply at SHOE SHOW, 2...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Autos

05 KIA - $4,995; 02 CHEVY MALIBU 80k mi. $4,995;
02 Dodge Intrepid, very low miles; 04 Saturn 4 dr nice $4,995; 2000 Pontiac Grand Am 4 dr; 99 Mustang LX; 96 Mustang; 03...>MORE

2002 HONDA TRIKE GL-1800
40k miles. Asking $27,000. For more info call 270-404-2959.

...>MORE

93 CHEVROLET CONVERSION VAN,
123,000+ miles., new tires, runs & looks great. Must see. $1795 O.B.O. 453-3726 or 670-8131.

...>MORE

2000 NISSAN QUEST SE, 114K.
98 Chevy Lumina, 77K, excellent tires on both. $3,200 each. Call 270-590-2789.

...>MORE

LOOKING FOR A GREAT AUTO DEAL?.....
Looking to buy or sell?
Check here for the Premium Auto Section.
You can post an ad with unlimited text and
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Homes

LG. 2 BR. APT. APPLIANCES FURNISHED, SERVICE
animals only. $298 mo. $298 dep. 1 yr. lease First mo. rent $275. Call 651-6026 between 7am-7pm....>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA TRIPLEX ON IVY ST.
Deposit & reference required. 270-590-0969. Cfter 6 pm. 270-646-2938.

...>MORE

4 BR, 1 BATH HOUSE,
Refrigerator and stove furnished. $425 mo. plus $200 deposit. 270-576-4209.

...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA HOUSE,
refrigerator and stove furnished. $400 mo. plus $200 deposit. 270-576-4209.

...>MORE

2 BR, 1.5 BATH, W/D HOOKUP, D/W, NEWLY REMODELED,
C/H/A conveniently located downtown $400 mo. + $400 dep. 270-646-8440.

...>MORE

GLASGOW CITY, LARGE 2 BR APARTMENT, C/H/A,
close to hospital, fridge & range furnished, W/D hook-up. Dep. & references required. $375 mo. Call 270-773-5189 or 270-...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA HOUSE, 307 N. GREEN.
Appliances furnished, detached garage, C/H/A $500 mo. + dep. & lease. Call 678-1068.

...>MORE

3 BR, 1 BA DUPLEX, IN THE COUNTRY,
appliances furnished including D/W, service pets only, references required. 1 yr. lease. $495 mo + $100 dep. Call 270-67...>MORE

PRODUCTIVE 55+ ACRE FARM FOR SALE.
Flat, fenced, cross fenced, cattle waters, pond, spring, 56x112 metal barn, 40x120 metal feed shed w/concrete floors, me...>MORE

2 BR MOBILE HOME, $360 MO. + DEP.
& utilities. In small mobile home park. 270-202-9148 or 529-9148. Leave message....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index