This projected growth is attributed to a decline in the level of employer-provided health insurance. This bill is modeled after The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, a school enrollment-based insurance program that currently provides broad coverage to thousands of previously uninsured children. It was recently named a winner of the 1996 Innovations in American Government Award by both the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. They are helping to restore faith in government's ability to solve tough problems. The concept for the Florida program is simple.
Most American children attend school.
School systems can be used as a mechanism for creating large groups of people to cover participants the way large businesses do. Coverage is offered to families with children enrolled or residing in the school district and benefits are designed for the individual child. A group composed of school children is large enough to provide an insurance benefit and premium package that is a good fit for families. Since premiums can still be beyond the reach of some lower-income families, the coverage is subsidized on a sliding scale based on income. In Florida, the school district plays a significant and varied role that schools, nationwide, could follow.