Five million uninsured school children will receive free or low-cost health insurance due to a national campaign that was launched recently by health leaders.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that the program has been named “Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge.” And the Obama administration will spend around $120 million over the next 5 years to enroll the 5 million uninsured reports The Detroit Free Press.
The new campaign has been launched as school starts so that children do not miss out of educational opportunities — because they couldn"t have their eyesight or hearing checked or play school sports because they can"t afford a physical exam.
States will be able to enroll school children in insurance plans from grants handed out by the HHS. Many states have recently launched programs to help reduce the number of kids who are uninsured by holding events and by going door-to-door.
The national campaign will try to help more children receive health insurance benefits by informing the families of children who are on reduced-cost and free school lunch programs. This is because the eligibility criteria for the lunch programs are quite similar to the requirements for the health insurance plans.
Massachusetts holds the lowest number of uninsured children which is largely due to the individual health insurance mandate in the state. As 2014 rolls around, the individual mandate from health care reform will really help the government reach the 5 million target mark as people will be required to have health insurance coverage.