With Healthy Kids, All Children in Los Angeles County Received the Care They Needed
California has been generous in expanding health coverage to groups who have fallen through the cracks despite national coverage expansion efforts. Yet, before California’s expansion of full-scope Medi-Cal to all low-income children regardless of immigration status in May 2016, these children were ineligible for health coverage and left uninsured. Children with no health insurance were more likely to use a hospital emergency room as a regular source of care, delay treatment for illness, and not receive regular vision and dental care.
L.A. Care decided to devote its own resources to filling that gap with the creation of Healthy Kids. In partnership with First 5 LA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children from birth to age five, and other health and advocacy organizations, L.A. Care created the Healthy Kids program in 2003.
Healthy Kids was a free or low-cost health coverage program for children aged 0-18 living in families up to 300% of the federal poverty level who were ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. L.A. Care provided the health coverage for these children, with premiums and care funded by L.A. Care, First 5 LA, and several philanthropic organizations. L.A. Care contributed $95 million toward this effort, and, at its peak, 45,000 children were enrolled in Healthy Kids.
Fortunately in 2016, California expanded Medi-Cal to all income-eligible children, regardless of immigration status. Subsequently, Healthy Kids was no longer needed and was sunset that same year. The legacy of the Healthy Kids program is a reminder of L.A. Care’s commitment to filling the gap to ensure that all children have access to the care they need to live healthy lives.
Beyond Healthy Kids: The Children’s Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles
Covering uninsured children through Healthy Kids filled a much needed gap. However, there was more work to do to fix the fragmented system of care for children. L.A. Care partnered with The California Endowment and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to lead the Children’s Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles (CHIGLA).
CHIGLA’s mission was to advocate for systemic, permanent improvements rather than temporary, unsustainable fixes. CHIGLA advocated for health care reform at the state and national level. The coalition also worked with state and county agencies to make the experience of Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and Healthy Kids as seamless as possible for children who cycled between programs. The CHIGLA coalition included more than 30 health care, social service, philanthropy, and advocacy agencies throughout Los Angeles County. The coalition sunset with the Healthy Kids program.
