FOR GENERAL RELEASE:
March 6, 2003

MEDIA CONTACT:
Janie Tyre
Santa Clara Family Health Plan
408-874-1840 direct
jtyre@scfhp.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Low-cost Health Care Program for Kids Could Reach Its Capacity this Spring

Santa Clara County's Healthy Kids insurance program could become a victim of its own success this spring. By May, organizers of the popular county-run plan may have to stop enrolling new children and start a waiting list, said Leona Butler, chief executive officer of the Santa Clara Family Health Plan.

The program, which provides low-cost health insurance, has enough money to serve 13,000 children, a number Butler expects to reach by May. After that number of children are enrolled, Healthy Kids will have to start a waiting list.

Butler announced the news Tuesday to a health committee meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

It's not clear when enrollment might hit 13,000, because 300 to 400 children drop out monthly because they move, become too old or for other reasons. That regular shift will also mean there will be room for children to move off the waiting list.

Parents with children in the program pay subsidized monthly premiums of $4 to $18 per family. The program, started in 2001, is paid for by tobacco taxes, foundation grants and other funds.

About Healthy Kids: Healthy Kids is a comprehensive, low-cost health insurance program that insures children in Santa Clara County whose families earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level and are not eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. A coalition of community groups, including Working Partnerships USA, People Acting in Community Together (PACT), Santa Clara Family Health Plan and Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, convinced the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the City of San Jose and the Santa Clara County Children and Families First Commission to commit tobacco settlement and cigarette tax monies to fund Healthy Kids. Santa Clara Family Health Foundation also contributed. Additional funding is being sought from foundations, corporations and individuals.
http://www.healthykidsfund.org.

About Santa Clara Family Health Plan: Santa Clara Family Health Plan (SCFHP) is a public not-for-profit health plan that provides high quality, comprehensive health care coverage for those who do not have access to good health care at an affordable price. SCFHP was chosen by the community to administer the Healthy Kids program and, in Santa Clara County, is the local health plan for Medi-Cal and the designated Community Provider plan for the Healthy Families program. Visit http://www.scfhp.com/.

###