One policy that could help schools build institutional capacity is creating and funding the position of health coordinator at the school district level. Public policy should reflect schools' experiences with health insurance outreach and enrollment initiatives and seek to facilitate schools' participation in these activities. Providing schools with financial incentives and support to distribute information about Healthy Families and Medi-Cal with other school materials that are regularly sent to families could improve outreach and enrollment. In addition, policymakers should explore ways that county social service agencies could partner with schools to ensure that children receiving public assistance or food stamps who are eligible for Healthy Families or Medi-Cal are enrolled in these programs. Although California has dedicated substantial resources to outreach and enrollment for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, the state currently does not gather the data necessary to determine which outreach efforts are most effective in actually getting children enrolled in these programs.
More research is needed on the connection between health insurance and school performance.
Existing research suggests that health insurance enrollment, retention, and utilization may correspond with decreased absenteeism and higher test-score performance among students. Research that proves this connection could provide the needed incentive for state agencies and school administrators to dedicate resources to school-based efforts to promote health insurance. The challenge of reducing the burgeoning number of uninsured children and achieving full enrollment in Healthy Families and Medi-Cal cannot be met without the participation of California's schools. Linking schools and health insurance offers a golden opportunity to expand health care coverage to all of California's children - the first step toward healthier kids and healthier schools.