SACRAMENTO – Leaders of the Teachers for Healthy Kids project today praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for deciding in his revised budget plan to remove the proposed cap in the state's Healthy Families insurance program.
Limiting enrollment would have denied thousands of children low-cost public health insurance, the Teachers for Healthy Kids project had warned the governor in a December letter. The letter was signed by the project's partners, Barbara E. Kerr, president of the 335,000-member California Teachers Association, and Steve Tough, CEO of the California Association of Health Plans.
"This is great news for California kids," Kerr said. "It means more children will have access to affordable health insurance, allowing them to come to school ready to learn."
"The demand for Healthy Families insurance is great, and now even more children will be able to make good use of it," Tough said. "The California Association of Health Plans is pleased the governor has changed his mind about pursuing a cap."
Both Kerr and Tough said they are closely examining the governor's new plan, subject to legislative approval, to raise the Healthy Families premiums for families earning more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The monthly premiums would be increased from a maximum of $9 per child and $27 for three or more children to maximums of $15 per child and $45 for three or more children.
Currently, a family of four with an annual income of up to $47,136 is eligible for coverage through Healthy Families. The coverage is for medical, dental and vision care for children aged 18 and younger.
The Teachers for Healthy Kids project, funded by the California Endowment foundation, is in its second successful year of publicizing the state's Healthy Families health insurance program in the public schools. For more information about the project, go to www.TeachersForHealthyKids.com