Note: As of July 1, 2007, Covering Kids & Families has closed. For current information about the uninsured in America, please visit RWJF Coverage.
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Covering Kids & Families

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You and your children may be eligible for low-cost or free health insurance! Programs exist in every state and the District of Columbia. For information about low-cost and free children's health coverage, visit insurekidsnow.gov. For information on coverage for adults, read the Guides to Finding Health Insurance Coverage in Your State from Cover the Uninsured.

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Promising Strategies

Idaho - Health Outcomes for Youth
Working with the chamber of commerce to reach chamber members
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Outreach Strategies

Arkansas - Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families
Using sports and sports figures as a marketing platform
In 1999, Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families enlisted state celebrity Houston Nutt, head coach of the popular Arkansas Razorbacks football team, to reach sports-minded parents of uninsured children through a TV public service announcement. Read more

Connecticut - Covering Connecticut's Kids & Families Coalition
Customizing national PSAs for local use
In 2001, the Covering Connecticut's Kids & Families Coalition planned a large media kick-off event, and worked with state agencies and the Covering Kids & Families Communications Team to approve and place paid television and radio advertising in the Hartford media market. Read more

Indiana - St. Joseph County Covering Kids & Families
Forming a well-connected media advisory committee to produce results
In 1999, the St. Joseph County Covering Kids & Families Initiative formed a media and marketing advisory committee, which helped design and run a successful, persuasive Hoosier Healthwise PSA campaign. Read more

National Covering Kids & Families Partnerships

Capital One
Taking the time and energy to build an effective corporate partnership
Capital One, a diversified financial services company based in McLean, VA, designed and distributed billing statements featuring information about the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage and the toll-free 1(877) KIDS-NOW number, promoted Covering Kids & Families and the toll-free number on the company Web site, and mentioned Covering Kids & Families and the importance of health care coverage in its consumer newsletter. Read more

Giant
Covering Kids & Families tapped into its relationship with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) to negotiate a partnership with Giant Food, which is a member of the association. The partnership included promotion of the national toll-free 1(877) KIDS-NOW number on Giant brand milk cartons and on customized posters and in-store circulars. Read more

H&R Block
Working with a corporation able to effectively reach eligible families
The Covering Kids & Families Communications Team built a national partnership with H&R Block. Clients with children under the age of 19 who earned $35,000 per year or less received a message about the availability of low-cost or free health care coverage on their personalized "Just for You" financial advice form. In addition, H&R Block tax professionals provided state-specific Medicaid and SCHIP information to interested families and encouraged them to call the toll-free hotline to find out if their children were eligible. Read more

Major League Soccer (MLS)
Using a national sports conference to reach targeted families
In the spring of 2005, Covering Kids & Families began working with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Sports Philanthropy Project to facilitate a partnership between Covering Kids & Families and Major League Soccer (MLS). Read more

Working with the Business Community

Connecticut - Covering Connecticut's Kids
Capitalizing on a national partnership
Covering Connecticut's Kids, with the assistance of the national Covering Kids & Families Communications Team, built a partnership with ARROW Pharmacy to place information about HUSKY health care coverage in shopping bags and post HUSKY information in English and Spanish in every ARROW Pharmacy store in Connecticut. Read more

Idaho - Health Outcomes for Youth
Working with the chamber of commerce to reach chamber members
Healthy Outcomes for Youth (HOY) teamed up with the Boise Chamber of Commerce to send fliers on Idaho CHIP to the chamber's member companies. In addition, fliers promoting a Covering Kids & Families Back-to-School Campaign event, where parents could sign up their children during their lunch hour, were sent to 5,200 chamber member businesses to post on their bulletin boards. Read more

New Mexico - New Mexico Covering Kids
Partnering with a utility company to reach out to its customers
New Mexico Covering Kids developed a relationship with the El Paso Electric Company in Doņa Ana County. The electric company included a designed insert with information about New MexiKids in 65,000 billing statements twice. Read more

North Carolina - North Carolina Health Choice for Children
Working with a national retailer to build awareness
North Carolina Health Choice for Children developed a partnership with Kmart to increase awareness of Medicaid and SCHIP. Read more

Texas - Covering Kids & Families in Houston
Free billboard advertising through a successful partnership
Covering Kids & Families in Houston forged a beneficial partnership with Clear Channel Communications, the largest displayer of outdoor advertising in the country. As part of the partnership, Clear Channel Outdoor donated billboards displaying information about TexCare. Read more

Fundraising

Indiana - Indiana Covering Kids & Families
Working with hospitals to invest in coalitions
In 1999, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, armed with data and knowledge about Medicaid and hospital finances, met with representatives of hospitals to try and secure funding for its coalition. Through 2003, hospitals in Indiana have invested over $2.5 million in the Covering Kids & Families coalition, and these funds have been applied toward its match requirement. Read more

Illinois - Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition
Successful strategy: foundation funding
The Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition, the Illinois Covering Kids & Families grantee, raised $200,000 the first year and $85,000 the second year from local Chicago foundations by working with one of its coalition members. Read more

Missouri - Missouri Primary Care Association
Partnering with the Missouri Department of Social Services for matching funds
The Missouri Primary Care Association, the Missouri statewide grantee, receives state funding for the Women and Minority Health Outreach Initiative, which is carried out at the state's federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). The state has committed to providing 100 percent of the RWJF match funding needed by the Missouri statewide grantee over a period of four years. Read more

Oklahoma - Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
Partnering with other nonprofits to fortify the coalition
Over the past few years, an unprecedented partnership of public and private agencies and organizations, serving as the Covering Kids & Families statewide coalition in Oklahoma, successfully created and sustained a movement to reach out to uninsured families in the state and simplify the process families must go through to enroll in the Oklahoma Medicaid program, SoonerCare. Read more

School-Based Outreach

Texas - Children's Defense Fund of Houston
Partnering with local school districts to reach out to parents
Covering Kids & Families in Houston worked with local school districts to incorporate Medicaid and SCHIP outreach and training into existing events, reaching more than 690,000 Houston-area students. Read more

Arizona - Children's Action Alliance
Using School Lunch Program and Medicaid and SCHIP data to target eligible students
Covering Kids & Families in Arizona tailored their school-based outreach approach by targeting low-income school districts identified through the collection of School Lunch Program and Medicaid and SCHIP data. Read more

Montana - Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies-Montana
Building an education community network
Covering Kids & Families in Helena identified several education-based organizations that could join together to figure out how best to use their school networks to reach families eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP. Read more

Nevada - Covering Kids & Families Southern Nevada Health District
Partnering with local schools districts to reach the Hispanic population
Covering Kids & Families in Las Vegas collaborated with school officials to target the area's large Hispanic population, creating Help Sessions at local schools to provide bilingual support and application assistance. Read more

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