|
|
 |
|
|
|
  |
|
|
Call toll-free to see if your child is eligible for low-cost or free health coverage.
ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
The Grant
In October 2002, Dakota Medical Foundation received a $700,000 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to connect nearly 10,000 uninsured North Dakota children with health care coverage. Dakota Medical Foundation is contributing an additional $577,000 to the initiative, bringing the total funding to $1,277,000. The grant is part of RWJF's Covering Kids & Families (CKF) - a four-year, $55 million national initiative that offers grants to state and local coalitions throughout the country to increase the number of eligible children benefiting from free and low-cost federal, state and private health care coverage programs.
The Covering Kids and Families project is a comprehensive, outcome-based structure for reducing the number of uninsured children in North Dakota by increasing enrollment in Medicaid, SCHIP and the Caring Program. There are three major components of this proposal:
1) Statewide Project;
2) Enrollment Assistance Project; and
3) Enrollment Incentive Project.
This four-year North Dakota initiative will enroll children in existing health coverage programs: Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the Caring Program for Children. These programs offer free or low-cost health care coverage to eligible children. Eligibility is based on family size and household income. Benefits may include primary physician care, hospitalization, drug costs, dental and vision.
The Statewide Covering Kids and Family Advisory Board (CKFAB) operates under a proven governance structure to be an effective independent voice for children in need of health care coverage. The Statewide Lead Agency, Dakota Medical Foundation, will report to the CKFAB, which defines and measures performance outcomes for this project.
Statewide Lead Agency
As the statewide lead agency Dakota Medical Foundation will manage and evaluate the initiative for the entire state of North Dakota. Statewide strategies include: preparing and disseminating marketing and training materials; providing training to key organizations that work with low-income families; building an improved eligibility and application information system with the Department of Human Services; facilitating an annual conference with key stakeholders to prepare and adjust a statewide strategic plan to effectively address major coverage barriers; and producing an annual report.
Data
The initiative will also be used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the three insurance coverage programs by collecting critical data on North Dakota's eligible uninsured children. This data will be used to simplify the enrollment process and efficiently coordinate coverage programs.
North Dakota's System
Thousands of North Dakota children are without health insurance because their parents are not aware that their kids qualify for Medicaid, Healthy Steps or the Caring Program. The Robert Wood Johnson funding, in addition to Dakota Medical's matching funds will better equip all partners to make North Dakota's system a model of efficiency and effectiveness. "Our experience has shown that informing working families about these programs and simplifying the enrollment process are critical components in getting eligible children enrolled." said Barbara Matacera Barr, program officer at RWJF.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
