HR295

WHEREAS, established in 1999 by the Hawaii Primary Care Association, HAWAII COVERING KIDS helps eligible uninsured children and youth obtain free and low-cost health insurance coverage; and

WHEREAS, in cooperation and collaboration with its many community partners, including various state departments and community agencies such as the Department of Human Services; Department of Labor; Department of Health; Department of Education; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; AlohaCare; HMSA Foundation; NFL Pro Bowl Charities; Easter Seals Hawaii; Hawaii Foodbank; American Red Cross Hawaii Chapter; Catholic Charities; and Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, HAWAII COVERING KIDS tirelessly strives to reduce the number of uninsured children and youth in Hawaii, with the ultimate goals of reaching 100 percent enrollment; and

WHEREAS, through a variety of services, HAWAII COVERING KIDS identifies, enrolls, and retains eligible children and youth in need of healthcare coverage in health insurance programs offered by QUEST and Medicaid, to keep Hawaii's children healthy; and

WHEREAS, in addition to working with health insurance programs to simplify application forms and implementing electronic applications through trained outreach workers, HAWAII COVERING KIDS offers a reliable hotline service, eligibility guidance, and a passive renewal process to aid families who need information or help with enrollment in the programs; and

WHEREAS, outreach efforts by HAWAII COVERING KIDS, including:

(1) A pharmacy outreach campaign to distribute bag stuffers and post flyers;

(2) Publication of flyers in 19 languages; and

(3) Informing parents and guardians of the availability of free health insurance in a collaborated effort with public and private schools, WIC, Head Start, county parks, youth clubs, public housing agencies, and child care centers,

have decreased the number of uninsured children and youth from 7 to 5 percent, reduced the annual number of uninsured newborns from an average of 520 to 363 babies, and increased the children and youth enrolled in QUEST and Medicaid fee-for-service programs to 28,000; and

WHEREAS, the services provided by HAWAII COVERING KIDS are funded by AlohaCare, the HMSA Foundation, Department of Human Services, NFL Pro Bowl Charities, Oahu Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Safeway Foundation, and Verizon Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the overall decline of uninsured children between the ages of 0 and 18 can be attributed to organizations such as HAWAII COVERING KIDS, which provide comprehensive outreach, planning, coordination, and application assistance to families who seek health insurance coverage for their children; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that this body hereby commends and applauds HAWAII COVERING KIDS for their accomplishments in reducing the

number of uninsured children and youth in the state, expresses deep appreciation for their assistance in enrolling Hawaii's children and youth in Quest and Medicaid fee-for-service programs, and extends to them its warmest aloha, and sincere wishes for continued success in the future.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Commending HAWAII COVERING KIDS for its accomplishments

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	295
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII