County Expands Children’s Insurance Program
Alameda County is expanding its Healthy Kids program to provide health insurance to children who do not qualify for state or federal health programs, the Oakland Tribune reports. A $135,000 grant from First 5 Alameda County and a $33,750 grant from First 5 California will allow the county to enroll an additional 150 children in the program.
There are an estimated 21,000 uninsured children in the county. About half of these children qualify for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families but are not enrolled.
Alameda County Healthy Kids was launched in October 2005 and the program's 1,100 slots were filled within three months, according to Ingrid Lamirault, CEO of the Alameda Alliance for Health, which administers the program (Vesely, Oakland Tribune, 3/30).