Publications by Martha Kovac for Health Policy Center

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Presently, two options exist for covering medical services for uninsured, low income children. The first is to enroll eligible children into comprehensive insurance programs such as Los Angeles Healthy Kids, which provides coverage for children ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families with family incomes below 300% FPL. The second option is through indigent care services delivered by county-operated safety net clinics that provide care to all people regardless of their ability to pay. This study examines the impact of Healthy Kids since its inception and compares it to utilization of pediatric care visits paid for through county indigent care programs. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. April 2008.

This report summarizes the findings from a survey of parents of Healthy Kids enrollees aged 1 to 5 in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles Healthy Kids program was implemented in July 2003 and provides insurance coverage to low income, uninsured children, who are ineligible for Medi-Cal or Healthy Families. This report is one of a series evaluating the Healthy Kids program in L.A. and analyses the demographic characteristics of enrolled children, their health status, health care access and use experiences, parental impressions of the enrollment and renewal processes, among other topics. One year from now, a second survey report will provide results from the longitudinal follow-up with the same parents and will assess the impact of the Healthy Kids program in L.A.

In early 2003 San Mateo County, California launched the Children's Health Initiative (CHI), a program to ensure that 100 percent of children have access to comprehensive health insurance coverage. This first annual CHI evaluation report shows that, in its early months, the CHI achieved rapid enrollment growth in its new insurance product, "Healthy Kids." Utilization of services was low in the initial months. This successful outreach and enrollment is a product of intensive and sustained collaboration among the CHI partners. Future evaluation reports will document the impact of the program on access to care and cost.

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