Healthy Kids Press Contact
Ashley Carr, Chief Marketing Officer,
(850) 701-6160, [email protected].

State-subsidized insurance program also launches new marketing campaign to reach eligible families and increase enrollment

TALLAHASSEE - With the click of a mouse, Florida families with uninsured children can now go online to apply for affordable, quality health insurance through Florida Healthy Kids and KidCare. The re-designed Healthy Kids Web site at www.healthykids.org also allows parents to check the status of their application and make payments once their children are enrolled. Many customer service improvements were made to the program over the past few months. Easy access and online enrollment were the top requests from families who suggested ways to make the program better.

"This is the best time for families to enroll in the program because it's easier to apply for benefits," said Healthy Kids executive director Rose Naff. "If a family sends us an application, we'll get them health insurance."

According to the latest study of the uninsured by the University of Florida, there are 143,000 children that qualify for the program. Using this information, Healthy Kids is launching a grassroots effort, combined with advertising, to reach out to these eligible families.

"We determined the best way to increase the number of children in the program is to find out where the uninsured children are and let their families know they're eligible," Naff said. "Our goal is to reduce the barriers that keep families from enrolling. With grassroots help in the community and strategic marketing of the program, we can get more kids insured."

Today there are only 211,227 children are enrolled in Healthy Kids and KidCare. Naff is encouraging all families with uninsured children to apply for benefits.

"We want to fill the program and we have the funding resources to do it. Enrollment is easier and families just need to know they can apply for this quality program."

The Healthy Kids program offers affordable, quality health insurance for children 18 years of age and under, whose parents can't afford private health coverage but earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. Children enrolled in the program receive regular doctor's visits, dental check-ups, and immunizations.

Florida Healthy Kids is a public-private partnership created by the Florida Legislature in 1990 to provide comprehensive, affordable health care coverage to previously uninsured children in Florida.