Pressure On To Enroll Kids in Healthy Families Before Vote on Cap
Health care providers in inland Southern California are being advised to sign up eligible children for Healthy Families in the next month before a proposed enrollment cap could take effect, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.Â
Healthy Families is California's version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (Hines, Riverside Press Enterprise, 11/28).
On Dec. 17, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which administers Healthy Families, is scheduled to vote on a proposal to cap enrollment in the program because of a projected $17.2 million deficit for the program.
If the cap is approved, a waiting list would take effect the next day (California Healthline, 11/14).
Close to 163,000 children could be on the waiting list for the program within six months.
Health policy experts warn that children who are put on waiting lists for the program could turn to hospital emergency departments for care (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 11/28). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.