New Funds Help Healthy Families Avoid Enrollment Freeze for Now
On Monday, First 5 California Children and Families Commission voted to provide $16.8 million to the state Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to help the board avoid capping enrollment in Healthy Families, the Los Angeles Times reports.
MRMIB administers Healthy Families, California's version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.Â
The funding from First 5 will be used specifically for Healthy Families coverage for children younger than age six. First 5 is charged with providing health care and education services to children up to age five.
The funds will permit Healthy Families to continue enrolling children in the program through the end of the fiscal year in June 2009.
MRMIB is expected to accept the funding on Wednesday at a meeting that had been scheduled to vote on a proposal to cap enrollment in Healthy Families.
Context
According to the Times, capping enrollment in Healthy Families "was expected to be one of the first concrete effects" of the state budget deficit, now projected to hit $41.8 billion by mid-2010 (Rau, Los Angeles Times, 12/16).
The San Diego Union-Tribune characterized First 5's vote as "a preemptive move," in light of Republican legislators' proposal yesterday to reallocate First 5 reserves to the state general fund (Sweeney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12/16) (News low in story).
Broadcast Coverage
On Monday, KQED's "California Report" included a segment on efforts to enroll children in Healthy Families ahead of Wednesday's MRMIB meeting (Sussman, "California Report," KQED, 12/15).
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