Parents and guardians on Kaua‘i children have opportunities to sign up their children for free health insurance through Quest and Medicaid programs next week. Beginning Monday, Nov. 17, and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 22, the Hawai‘i Covering Kids Kaua‘i project
Parents and guardians on Kaua‘i children have opportunities to sign up their children for free health insurance through Quest and Medicaid programs next week.
Beginning Monday, Nov. 17, and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 22, the Hawai‘i Covering Kids Kaua‘i project will post workers at the West Kauai Medical Center at Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waimea to enroll children and youth in the health-insurance programs for low-income families.
Outreach workers will be at the Waimea facility to provide Med-Quest application assistance and answer questions Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 22 from 8 a.m. to noon.
Children ages 0 to 19 may be eligible for these programs, including immigrants and those with working parents. Eligibility is based on family size and household income, so a family of four earning over $42,000 a year may still qualify for free health insurance for their children.
“It is vital that all our children have health insurance,” said Charlette Resinto, Kaua‘i local project outreach worker. “Often, families are unaware or misinformed about the Quest and Medicaid programs, or they find the application process difficult,” she said.
“We hope our outreach event will change those perceptions, because we are available to assist families and make the process easier. Consequently, there will be healthier children, and parents with peace of mind knowing their children can get timely and appropriate health care,” said Resinto.
Health-care services covered by Quest and Medicaid include regular check-ups, doctor visits, emergency care, eyeglasses, immunizations, counseling, prescription medicines, and dental care.
“An outreach worker from Hawai‘i Covering Kids found out that my daughter, Kaylee, didn’t have health insurance,” said Kaylee’s mother, Candace.
“I couldn’t afford the monthly payments to add her on to my existing coverage. I would just pay out of pocket when she needed to see the doctor, which was very costly.
“The outreach worker pursued me until we got Kaylee approved for (free) medical. I’m so glad that she didn’t give up on us,” Candace said. “My daughter needed medical attention several times after being approved for medical, and was able to get her much-needed immunization shots.”
There are 8 million uninsured children and youth in the United States, and 65 percent are eligible for public health-insurance programs but not enrolled.
That means over 5 million children and youth are unnecessarily uninsured.
“Parents and guardians should not have to choose between buying food and health insurance,” explained Barbara Luksch, project director for Hawai‘i Covering Kids.
“Families feel tremendous stress when their children do not have health insurance, and we want them to know that working parents and guardians can apply for Quest and Medicaid, and the Kaua‘i local project outreach workers will help with the forms,” Luksch said.
“Also, Med-Quest does not count assets if they (parents or guardians) are applying only for their children,” Luksch added.
For more information, parents and guardians may call the Kaua‘i local project hotline, 245-9555.
Hawai‘i Covering Kids is a project of the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, and is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, state Department of Human Services, and seven local foundations.
