Contact Information: Contact: Bill Madison (916) 263-1093
Statement From David Kears, Vice Chair, First 5 California State Commission
Regarding Approval of Funding for Healthy Families to Extend Health Coverage to More Children
| Source: First 5 California
SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - December 15, 2008) - Today the First 5 California State
Commission approved funding that will safeguard more than 65,000 infants
and children ages 0 to 5 from being placed on waiting lists for health coverage through the
fiscal year ending June 30, 2009.
First 5 California authorized funding up to $16.7 million to pay health
care premiums for children ages 0 to 5 who are new enrollees to the state's
Healthy Families program. First 5 county commissions have committed to
presenting their commissioners with requests to help provide part of this
funding.
This funding will be offered to the California Managed Risk Medical
Insurance Board (MRMIB), the agency that administers Healthy Families, which will
consider this additional funding at its next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
The State Commission extends our sincere gratitude to the First 5 county commissions who stepped
forward -- ensuring Healthy Families does not have to close its doors to
eligible young children as a result of the state's budget shortfall.
First 5 looks forward to working with MRMIB to keep young children off
waiting lists for health coverage during this period of rising unemployment
rates and economic instability.