Stanislaus County Launches Program To Provide Health Care to Uninsured Children, Pregnant Women
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to accept funds from the Children and Families Commission to help finance a health care program for children, the Modesto Bee reports. The supervisors approved $1.3 million in grants to fund the first nine months of the Child Health Access Program, which provides health care services for eligible uninsured children and pregnant women. The county will receive a total of $2.5 million for the first year of the program, $3.2 million for the second year and $3.6 million for the third year. The program does not provide health coverage, but beneficiaries receive free care at county facilities. County health officials hope the new program will help decrease the number of uninsured residents who seek nonemergency treatment in emergency departments. To qualify, pregnant women and children up to five years of age must have annual household incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level and cannot qualify for public health insurance. Families who do qualify for public programs like Medi-Cal or Healthy Families will be permitted to participate in the Child Health Access Program for 90 days, during which time agency officials will help them enroll in the appropriate health plan (Navarro, Modesto Bee, 10/2).
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