Teachers for Healthy Kids getting off to a good start

Riding the momentum of a successful statewide kickoff this fall, CTA's new long-term partnership with health plans is mobilizing teachers to help uninsured students.

Nearly one million children in California are eligible for, but not enrolled in, the state's low-cost Healthy Families program or the no-cost Medi-Cal for Families program, according to the Urban Institute. In Los Angeles County alone, 242,000 children qualify but are not enrolled.

"Teachers understand there is a clear relationship between a lack of health care and school performance," says CTA President Wayne Johnson. "We can't teach to an empty desk. This new partnership now means families will be hearing more about these vital insurance programs directly from classroom teachers statewide."

It takes a huge project to solve a huge problem. The "Teachers for Healthy Kids" outreach partnership combines the resources of the 335,000-member CTA with the industry clout of the California Association of Health Plans (CAHP), which represents 31 health plans insuring approximately 21 million Californians.

"We are confident that this partnership will be a great success," says John Monahan, the Blue Cross of California senior vice president for state-sponsored programs. "The teachers are uniquely positioned to reach the families of our potential members and collaborating with CTA only makes sense."

"California health plans are committed to the goal of enrolling every eligible child in the Healthy Families and Medi-Cal programs," says Walter Zelman, president of CAHP. "This unique alliance between health plans and CTA is a breakthrough in that effort."

It is such a breakthrough that the Los Angeles Times, in a Sept. 23 editorial, praised the CTA/CAHP partnership as the "kind of involvement and innovation that the public and the private sectors alike must show to keep the safety net from collapsing entirely."

"With Medi-Cal or Healthy Families coverage," the editorial added, "these kids would be able to receive private care rather than being left to seek help at the dwindling number of county clinics - or getting no care at all."

The project's goal is to educate teachers about these problems so they can make sure parents can take advantage of them. Healthy Families allows a family of four to earn up to $44,136 a year and still obtain complete medical, dental and vision care for $4 to $9 a month (to a maximum of only $27) for all children under the age of 19 through health plans that contract with the state. Parents are not covered. There is no co-payment for preventative services such as immunizations.

The Medi-Cal for Families program is for parents with incomes at the federal poverty level and is free. It covers parents and children.

Coordinated by the CTA Community Outreach Department in Los Angeles, the Teachers for Healthy Kids project is taking several steps in the near future to make sure teachers are prepared to educate parents. These steps include:

• Equipping CTA field staff with a training CD that fully explains the Healthy Families program, how health plans are involved, and why achievement is linked to good health care.
• Developing classroom resource kits for teachers.
• Creating a brochure to explain the Teachers for Healthy Kids project and the health insurance options.
• Planning meetings in January and February across the state to inform chapter presidents about the possibilities for local involvement.

Already, key CTA field staff have seen presentations about the project that included participation of health plan representatives. All CTA members should have received a poster for classrooms with the headline "You Can't Help Kids Learn When They Aren't There." It is designed to keep the toll-free Healthy Families program number visible [(888) 747-1222].

To further involve teachers in the project, Robert K. Ross, M.D., the president and CEO of The California Endowment, addressed the 770 delegates at the October meeting of CTA's State Council of Education. The private, statewide health foundation is funding the partnership with a $547,000 grant.

"There are roughly one to 1.5 million uninsured kids in California," Dr. Ross said. "Close to 75 percent of those are eligible for an existing program and are not enrolled."

Children who have undetected hearing problems, vision problems, asthma, lead poisoning and other afflictions could easily benefit from the Healthy Families program, Ross said, yet the state is sending back $720 million in federal funding because the program is woefully underutilized.

The grant is just one part of the solution, said Ross. The California Endowment is also piloting an "Express Lane Eligibility" program in several counties (Los Angeles, San Diego, Fresno and Santa Cruz) to see if the enrollment process can be expedited. One part of the program will include matching up public school students on the federal Free and Reduced Lunch plan with Medi-Cal and Healthy Families insurance coverage. Once this is shown to work, the program will be taken statewide.

Ross praised teachers for making a difference in the health care crisis. "This is something that is fixable, it is doable now, and we can do this, but we desperately need the support of schools and the CTA," he said.

In early September, CTA leaders kicked off the project by joining local health plan officials in five simultaneous news conferences in Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose, Glendale and San Diego. Dozens of television, print and radio reporters covered the events.

"I have been in the classroom for 37 years and today is one of the most exciting days of my career," said Lloyd Porter, the CTA Board member who chairs the project's steering committee.

Speaking to reporters at the Sacramento event in the Capitol building, he praised the health plan partnership and its initial goals of reaching uninsured children at the lower-performing schools of greatest need first, where poverty is high.

"Every child deserves a healthy chance to learn," said Porter. "This project will help give them that chance."

Mike Myslinski