INSURE KIDS NOW!
Head Start Health Insurance Outreach and Enrollment Activities
FOLLOW THESE STEPS TO START ENROLLING YOUR KIDS TODAY:
First, use the contact list attached to find out about your state's application process.

• Each state has its own eligibility and application procedures so your health coordinator or another appropriate staff member should contact the state agent to review your state's procedures. Develop a relationship with health insurance eligibility workers in your community. Some states have one application for both Medicaid and CHIP and others allow families to complete the application over the phone or through the mail. Also, find out what proof of income they will accept for determining eligibility (e.g., recent pay stubs, a letter from the parent's employer, a copy of a recent child support order). Some states offer presumptive eligibility for Medicaid to low-income children enrolled in other Federal programs, such as Head Start, which would allow you to enroll children on the spot for a temporary period, pending a formal eligibility determination.

Once you know how to apply, enroll your staff's children first.

• Depending on your state's eligibility requirements, some of your staff may be eligible for free or low-cost health insurance. Getting your employees' children enrolled will help involve the entire staff in the outreach effort. Many parents who have reservations about signing up because they think it will be too much trouble or they don't think they will qualify, may feel better knowing that Head Start staff, whom they know and trust, have already gone through the process.

Next, inform parents by making health insurance outreach part of your program's routine.

• Add a question about health insurance to routine intake procedures or registration forms. Determining income eligibility during registration is a perfect opportunity to let parents know that their children may be eligible for health insurance. Health screenings and immunization efforts also provide natural opportunities to determine if children are insured. Every so often, send health insurance flyers home with other routine forms like accident reports, permission slips, children's artwork and lunch menus. Display "Insure Kids Now" and other posters promoting health insurance in high traffic areas. [Such posters can be ordered from the Head Start Publications Management Center at 202-737-1030.] Incorporate information on how families can obtain health insurance information into parenting education classes and health and safety training for classroom staff and home visitors. Periodically ask your employees share what they have done to get the word out to parents and what they are hearing from them about barriers to enrollment. Assign your health coordinator, a staff member or parent outreach worker the role of answering basic questions and referring families for more help.

Finally, help parents obtain and complete the application forms.

• If your state allows applicants to apply by phone or mail, have some applications on hand so that Head Start staff can walk parents through the process and make sure that they have all necessary documentation ready before they mail or call in their applications. For parents who have trouble speaking and understanding English, ensure that multi-lingual assistance is available when parents call and that applications in other languages, if available, are on hand to facilitate the process. Ask the state contacts where the closest application centers are located and provide directions (including the availability of public transportation), hours of operation, and availability of multi-lingual staff. The law requires states to provide opportunities for families to apply for Medicaid at sites other than the central office. Plan with your local health insurance office to outstation a worker at your center, so that the agent can help parents complete the form in a convenient and familiar setting. Keep in mind that eligibility workers can rotate among several locations and coordinate with other early childhood programs in your area to make the most out of an outstationed worker in your community. Schedule outstation visits at the end of the day when parents are picking up their children and, if possible, during special weekend health events when health screening, immunization drives, or other health-related activities are scheduled. Be sure to tell families what to bring and ensure ready access to a photocopier for duplicating the necessary forms. alternatively, if your center owns a van or has access to similar types of transportation, make arrangements to transport families periodically to the application center. Finally, take health insurance information and application forms on home visits, so that you can explain the process and answer questions in a comfortable setting.

AFTER THESE INITIAL STEPS ARE TAKEN, BROADEN YOUR OUTREACH EFFORTS BY:

Following up with parents

Check in with parents to see if they have heard back from the enrollment office. If they were denied, try to figure out why. Many applications are rejected because they were completed incorrectly. Regularly contact your local eligibility workers to determine if certain denial patterns exist. Are there questions on the applications that are confusing and frequently lead to errors? Are applicants aware that certain regulations (like the acceptable proof of income eligibility) have recently changed? Figuring out if large numbers of parents are making similar mistakes will allow you to prepare these parents better when they reapply and help future parents avoid being unnecessarily denied enrolllment. Intimate knowledge of these problems will also permit you to demonstrate the need for simplifying and/or clarifying the application form(s) and process.

Reaching out to kids on the waiting list

Use income eligibility screenings to educate parents about the availability of free or low-cost health insurance. In fact, use any encounter with parents as an opportunity to provide information about the availability of free or low-cost health insurance.

Collaborating with community partners
Contact your state or county officials to determine how your Head Start program can participate in outreach activities. Use your partnerships with WIC, Medicaid, Title V programs, immunization outreach efforts, job training, child support enforcement and child care to share ideas and best practices, coordinate outreach activities and develop health insurance materials for distribution in a variety of community settings.

Contacting the media
Call local television and radio stations and newspapers to inform them of your health outreach efforts. Take advantage of any free publicity offered to spread the word about special Community Health events you may be hosting or participating in to provide health screenings, immunizations, and/or health insurance enrollment.