ACYF Administration on Children, Youth and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children and Families
	1. Log No. ACYF-HS-IM-99-14a	2. Issuance Date: 10/25/99
	3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau
	4. Key Word: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM [See Attachments at the bottom]

TO: All Head Start and Head Start Grantee and Delegate Agencies

SUBJECT: Insure Kids Now! Campaign, an inter-agency health insurance outreach initiative.

PURPOSE: To enlist your help in health insurance outreach.

INFORMATION: Thanks to your efforts, Head Start continues to be a leader in providing comprehensive child development services to low-income children and their families. Promoting children's health has always been at the forefront of Head Start services, yet more needs to be done. As you are well aware, children without health insurance are less likely to receive preventative and primary health care and are more likely to suffer from asthma, ear infections, vision problems -- treatable conditions that dramatically interfere with child development.

Recognizing this concern, Congress in 1997 created the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and allocated $24 billion over five years to states to provide health coverage to children. CHIP fills the gap for children whose working parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to provide private health insurance. (CHIP operates under different names in each state; please see the attached list for your state's program name). Despite early efforts, more than six million children eligible for either Medicaid or CHIP, are still not enrolled.

That's where Head Start can help. In order to fulfill our mission, we must help uninsured families enroll their children in free or low-cost health insurance. As trusted partners who work with children and their families everyday, you are in a position to play an integral role in this outreach effort. I ask you to join the Department of Health and Human Services in the national Insure Kids Now! campaign. Enclosed you will find:

• A list identifying each state's name for CHIP
• A step-by-step description of what you can do to help parents enroll their children in either Medicaid or CHIP
• A pledge form signaling your desire to participate in the Insure Kids Now! Coalition

We are requesting your participation in Insure Kids Now! in accordance with Performance Standard 1304.20(a)(1)(i), which mandates that all Head Start programs "Make a determination as to whether or not each child has an ongoing source of continous, accessible health care. If a child does not have a source of ongoing health care, grantee and delegate agencies must assist the parents in accessing a source of care." For those states and territories whose CHIP plans are not yet fully operational for young children (HI, TX, Guam and American Samoa) we encourage you to use the materials to promote Medicaid outreach.

Answering the call to help insure our kids will require your continued hard work and dedication. We want to support your efforts, so if you have any further questions about children's health insurance programs in your state, please contact 1-877-KIDS-NOW, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/programs/chip/, or your Head Start regional office for more information.

Thank you for always being there to support the children and families in your care.

/S/
Helen H. Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau

Attachments:
State specific CHIP programs
Enrollment Activities
Pledge Form