Of the two million uninsured California children, 1.48 million are eligible for health insurance through either the Medi-Cal for Children or Healthy Families programs. There are no monthly premiums and no co-payments. 75 percent of uninsured California children are eligible for health coverage Eligibility for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families is determined by the age of the child and family income. These challenges, as expressed by families, include difficulty completing the application process and fears concerning immigration status. Most families are assisted with the application by a Certified Application Assistant.
Questions often arise around the definition of income related terms.
Furthermore, a number of families have difficulty providing the documentation required to verify their income and income deductions. Upon completing the joint application, many families still need assistance determining which programs their children are eligible for, since each program has its own set of rules. The differences become particularly confusing when siblings in the same family are eligible for different programs, based on Medi-Cal s sliding income scale. While a parent s immigration status is not considered for a child s eligibility, immigrant families remain concerned that the application for and enrollment into these public programs could have a negative impact on the family s ability to sponsor a relative, or have immigration status implications. Schools and school districts can play an important role in assisting families to overcome these challenges and help enroll their children in a health insurance program by conducting school outreach.