First 5 California Contribution Extends Health Coverage to More Than 65,000 Children
Healthy Families Program No Longer to Cap Enrollment for Young Kids
| Source: First 5 California
SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - December 17, 2008) - With the help of funding from First 5 California, the state's
Healthy Families program
today moved to safeguard more than 65,000 infants and children from waiting
lists for health coverage due to the budget crisis.
First 5 California will provide $16.7 million to the Managed Risk Medical Insurance
Board, the agency that administers Healthy Families. The funds will be
used to pay health care premiums for children up to age 5 who are new
applicants to Healthy Families through the end of the fiscal year in June.
"Today's action will allow the state to continue to enroll tens of
thousands of infants and children in the Healthy Families program, ensuring
them access to much-needed health care services," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
With their unanimous vote Monday, State Commissioners affirmed First 5
California's ongoing commitment to helping ensure all children have access
to health coverage, particularly during this period of high unemployment
and economic instability.
"First 5's action shows that anything is possible when all sides come
together to tackle a problem -- even in the worst budget times," said
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass added, "I thank the First 5 commissioners,
including my appointees to the panel, for hearing our appeals and stepping
up to the plate with a responsible resolution for these children."
Since voters passed Proposition
10 in 1998, First 5 California has established itself as the largest
and most stable funding source of health coverage for children up to age 5
in California. Last year, the agency spent more than $48 million on
children's health insurance.
"First 5 California is proud to help take this first step forward in
expanding children's health coverage as part of our larger mandate to serve
the needs of our state's youngest children," said Kris Perry, First 5 California
executive director.
Forty-seven county commissions are committed to presenting their
commissioners with requests to help provide part of this funding in the
coming weeks.
First 5 county commissions that have pledged support include: Alameda,
Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado,
Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Kern, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin,
Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange,
Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San
Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta,
Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo and
Yuba.
About First 5 California
First 5 California, also known as the California Children and Families
Commission, was established after voters passed Proposition 10 in November
1998, adding a 50 cents-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund education,
health, child care and other programs for expectant parents and children up
to age 5. For more information, please visit www.first5california.com.