Campaign aims to get kids, adults health insurance

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jul 24, 2008 at 12:32 PM EST

Story Updated: Jul 24, 2008 at 12:32 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An annual back-to-school campaign aimed at enrolling children in low-cost government insurance added a new goal this year: getting their parents and other adults signed up, too.

Indiana Health Commissioner Judy Monroe, state schools superintendent Suellen Reed and Medicaid chief Jeff Wells joined advocates from Covering Kids & Families of Indiana for a Statehouse news conference Wednesday, appealing to low-income families to enroll their children in Hoosier Healthwise and themselves in the new Healthy Indiana Plan.

"Healthy students perform better in school and healthy adults are better prepared to support their children's success, which is why it is so critical that we work together to connect uninsured families to available services," Reed said.

The annual campaign is sponsoring upcoming events offering free immunizations and health screenings and onsite enrollment in Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, LaPorte, Logansport, Michigan City, Muncie and other cities across the state.

More than half a million Indiana children and adults who lack basic health care coverage might qualify for free or low-cost health insurance through the state's Hoosier Healthwise and Healthy Indiana Plan programs, advocates said.

Hoosier Healthwise provides medical care to more than 500,000 low-income children, pregnant women and certain very low-income adults. It covers doctor and dentist visits, mental health care, surgeries and other care at costs ranging from none at all to monthly premiums of $70 for two or more children in families earning up 2½ times the poverty level.

More information is available by calling 1-800-889-9949 or at the Web site www.healthcareforhoosiers.com.

Gwen Hurd of Michigan City, a part-time clinical social worker, is pregnant with her second child. Her husband, Jeff, works as an artist and does not receive health insurance.

"I have had access to prenatal testing to ensure the baby is healthy," Gwen Hurd said. "Without health insurance, I would have to make health care decisions based on what limited financial means I have rather than what is in my family's best interest."

The Healthy Indiana Plan, similar to a medical savings account, was launched this year by the state to provide low-cost coverage to uninsured Hoosiers ages 19-64 earning up to twice the poverty level. It had enrolled 18,583 people by Monday.

People can call 1-877-GET-HIP-9 or visit www.hip.in.gov for more information.

The poverty level is a sliding scale that's $10,400 for a single-person household, $14,000 for a family of two and $24,800 for a family of five.

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