Gilroy
– Sister Camille Cuadra leaned toward the woman, who balanced a
toddler on her hip against the weight of her groceries.
”
Do you have health insurance?
”
Cuadra asked in Spanish, and handed the woman a plastic bag
loaded with a coloring book and promotional materials about
insurance.
Gilroy – Sister Camille Cuadra leaned toward the woman, who balanced a toddler on her hip against the weight of her groceries. “Do you have health insurance?” Cuadra asked in Spanish, and handed the woman a plastic bag loaded with a coloring book and promotional materials about insurance.
This year, Saint Louise Regional Hospital took its outreach from the emergency room to the streets, distributing information about low-cost and no-cost children’s insurance in South County fields, markets and the outlet mall. In conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week, hospital staff brought brochures to community members.
“Not all these children have Medi-Cal, which has been a surprise to me,” said Cuadra, standing outside Arteaga’s Super Save on First Street. “We need to talk to the schools, to reach the family whose children are uninsured.”
Low-cost options have been essential for families who don’t meet the cutoffs for federal and state programs, said Elisabeth Handler, public information officer for the Santa Clara Family Health Plan.
“Even at 300 percent of the federal poverty level, it’s hard to afford private health insurance,” said Handler. SCFHP’s private plan, Healthy Kids, was designed to plug the gap other programs left, by accepting kids at a higher income level and regardless of immigration status, she said. Now, the problem has been reaching families to let them know about the programs. “It’s not about advertising and marketing – it’s about one-by-one reaching out.”
Families also need help completing the applications, said Marta Avelar, director of community relations for SCFHP. Certified employees in county clinics, including the Gardner clinic in downtown Gilroy, can help screen families for program eligibility, and keep in touch with families to prevent their policies from lapsing.
For more information about Cover the Uninsured Week, visit www.covertheuninsuredweek.org.
