Children's Health

Success By 6 is committed to - Improving Children's Health

• Increasing access to quality, affordable health care
• Increasing education and outreach for follow-up immunizations

Needs

• Contrary to belief, Orange County is not an affluent county and has the 38th highest rate of child poverty among California's 58 counties; 20% of OC children aged 0-5 are living in poverty
• 78% of OC renters pay more than 50% of their income on housing, leaving very little for the necessity of health insurance for their children (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Dec. 1997)
• Approximately 75,000 children in Orange County are without health insurance (The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey)
• Out of these 75,000 uninsured Orange County children, approximately 51,000 or over 65% of OC children are eligible for either Medi-Cal or the Healthy Families Program (The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey)
• For every 3 children newly enrolled in the Healthy Families Program, one drops out (The Center for Studying Health Systems Change, Oct. 2001).Although immunizations are free, only 70% of OC children, aged 0-2, are adequately immunized (The 8th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, 2002)
• Uninsured children lead to untreated health problems that result in missed school days and diminished participation and learning in class (ChildrenNow Press Release, Nov. 2001)

Implications

• $45 million will be spent annually on indigent care
• County spends $97 per uninsured person versus $10 for a person insured by Healthy Families for the same medical costs
• The average cost for a visit to the emergency room (all age patients) was $272 for 11,728 visits and total expenditures of $3,209,626 compared to a $10 cost for patients enrolled under Healthy Families
• Every $1 invested in immunizations can save up to $14.40 spent later on treating illness and hospitalization (White et al, American Journal of Public Health, 1985

Children's Health Strategy

Vision
To eliminate health disparities among at-risk children aged 0-6 in Orange County.

Mission
To focus all available resources on eliminating health disparities by educating and empowering families with at-risk children aged 0-6 in the utilization of health care insurance to ensure that they enter school ready to learn.

Long Term Goal
To ensure that at-risk children aged 0-6 have access to a medical home.

The goal of the children's health strategy for Success By 6® is to establish and sustain a "medical home" for Orange County (OC) children aged 0-6.

What is a "medical home"?
The one place that a family goes to receive health care consistently with the same primary care physician who ensures that services are comprehensive, coordinated, culturally competent, and family-driven. It is also known as "health home."

Platform
We have built a platform by which we hope to accomplish this overarching goal. This platform is derived from a simple equation:

Enrollment + Utilization = Retention

It is this continuum of care to which Success By 6 is dedicated.

Importance of Health Insurance

Often parents are faced with tough choices based on financial pressures, which they know can jeopardize their desire to raise healthy, thriving children. For OC working families, one such decision is related to health insurance for their children. When meeting their family's basic needs of providing food and shelter is a challenge, the only option is to not cover their children and hope that something tragic will not happen. However, health insurance and proper immunization are a vital necessity for the well being of children.

Health insurance is essential because uninsured children lead to untreated health problems that result in missed school days and diminished participation and learning in class (ChildrenNow Press Release, Nov. 2001) and studies have shown that every $1 invested in immunizations can save up to $14.40 spent later on treating illness and hospitalization (White et al, American Journal of Public Health, 1985).

Importance of a Medical Home

Children must grow up in a medical home, where they have health insurance and access to a physician who ensures that medical services are comprehensive, coordinated, culturally competent, and family-driven.

Benefits of a Medical Home

• Children feel comfortable with a physician they are familiar with
• Parents will feel comfortable asking questions of their child's physician regarding specific concerns
• Medical Home physician will be able to chart the child's progress
• Medical Home physician can identify special needs and/or illness in a timely manner

What is the Healthy Families Program?

It is true that health insurance is costly, but there are options such as the State of California's comprehensive health insurance program known as the Healthy Families (HFP). Health insurance under HFP is for children with family incomes above the level eligible for no cost Medi-Cal and below 250% of the federal income guidelines. This program provides low-cost comprehensive services that include physical, dental, vision, and mental health for California children aged 0 through 18.

Applying for the program is easy and there are Certified Application Assistants (CAA) around the county who are more than willing to help you to apply for the program.

SB6 is dedicated to increasing access to quality, affordable health care. By providing family sponsorships, the Insure the Children Project is helping to address the financial barriers that exist for Orange County Families and prevent them from enrolling onto HFP. Families may be eligible for HFP sponsorship, in which SB6 covers the premiums associated with the initial 12 months of enrollment in HFP. Sponsorship is available to all children (0 through 18 yrs), residents of OC, eligible for HFP.

Healthy Families Program

Where Can I Get Enrolled in the Healthy Families Program?

Certified Application Assistants in Orange County

Healthy Families Program Participants in Orange County

Healthy Families Program Income Guidelines

Maintaining Your Health Insurance

Maintaining your child's health is integral to their successful development. Children who have health insurance and see their physician on a regular basis are more likely to be healthy. Children who are healthy are more likely to succeed in school! Maintaining your child's health insurance is the only way to ensure that your child has continued access to regular doctor visits, eye exams, mental health services, dental services, emergency services. The following programs are state-sponsored and, if eligible, a family can access services at low or no cost:

Healthy Families Program
www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov

AIM - Access for Infants and Mothers
www.mrmib.ca.gov/MRMIB/AIM.html

Medi-Cal
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Programs offered through the County of Orange
www.oc.ca.gov/hca/mcah/child.htm