By Suzanne Schlattman, Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc.
This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Get Covered. Get in the Game initiative which will be launched in seven pilot states across the country including: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Ohio and Wisconsin. The initiative brings together coaches, schools, and communities to educate families with children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP about the immediate availability of free and low-cost health care programs for children.
What a great idea! In public health, we stress prevention and leading an active lifestyle is one health behavior that pays the greatest dividends for preventing poor health. However, uninsured kids often miss out on organized youth sporting activities because they cannot afford the necessary physical or because their families are afraid that they won't be able to pay the medical bills if their child gets hurt. Providing coaches with information about affordable health insurance options for children is a great way to promote coverage among eligible families and promote the adoption of healthy behaviors.
In Maryland, we played around with this theme when we launched our "Got healthcare?" campaign after the state expanded Medicaid eligibility for adults in 2007. Local sports heroes from the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins volunteered to help promote the program. We ran radio ads, partnered with local hotlines and put up posters in every hospital to alert people. Having sports celebs promote enrollment in Medicaid helped raise awareness about the program, break down the stereotype that Medicaid was only for pregnant women and children, and again repeated the theme of leading an active lifestyle. Over 200,000 Marylanders have gained access to free and low cost health care services since this campaign began.
Check out one of the great radio ads that was part of this campaign:
Chris Samuels of the Washington Redskins with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
And the poster with Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens:
It makes a lot of sense to involve youth sports leaders with our enrollment efforts as an estimated 44 million children participate in organized youth sports. Coaches for youth sporting leagues are local celebs in their communities too -- and to have these folks promote enrollment in children's health insurance programs across the country is great news.
In announcing the initiative, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reminded us of why we all work so hard to connect children with coverage:
"Healthy kids do better in school and in life because they are able to participate fully in activities that develop their bodies and their minds," Secretary Sebelius said. "Kids should not have to miss out on their favorite sports and other activities that get them moving because they lack health insurance coverage."
All states can use the materials developed for the pilot states to get coaches involved in outreach efforts to enroll eligible children. More information about the Get Covered: Get in the Game initiative is available at www.InsureKidsNow.gov.
The views expressed by guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Children and Families.
Now that I can show my kids this ad, they will finally think my work is cool. What a great idea to employ sports figures and help people make the link between health coverage and the chance for kids to stay active and participate in sports.
This is a very timely topic. I was just in Sykesville, Maryland with my son's soccer team and one of our players started having bronchial spasms. His mother wasn't there so another mom and I took him to a nearby urgent care center. They did not accept Medicaid patients so we offered to pay ourselves. After a 45 minute wait, they came back to tell us they couldn't see him as it was illegal for Medicaid patients to pay out of pocket. I've confirmed that with a Medicaid lawyer and understand that the law is intended to protect the beneficiaries but it shows how we all need to be better informed on how to navigate the system for low-income children. Get Covered. Get in the Game is a great way to get parents and coaches more involved in this important issue.
I'm so sorry to hear about that Celina. I hope the young boy was able to get the care he needed and is alright now.
I agree with you that general education about navigating "the system," is something that will help all of us be healthier and make our communities stronger.
The situation with Celina's friend is indeed unfortunate and I trust that, because the child is a minor, care was taken to contact a parent. To protect Medicaid enrollees, providers are not allowed to charge patients (called "balance billing") beyond approved but modest co-payments. In this case, the provider could have provided care for this child as a private pay patient and would not be subject to Medicaid rules.
This story also highlights the fact that we need more Medicaid providers just as we need more primary care providers. As we move forward with health reform and address payment, quality and workforce issues, I am optimistic we can more systemically address access problems like Celina encountered in Maryland.