IMPORTANT: Look for your child’s Medicaid or CHIP renewal in the mail, complete it and mail it back immediately. They may be covered even if you’re not! Go to Medicaid.gov/renewals to find contact information for your state Medicaid office.

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Back-to-School Tips from the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign

August 14, 2014

Are you thinking about Back-to-School events that you can plan or promote in your community? Leading up to the first day of school and beyond, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign will deliver a new tip straight to your inbox with ideas on how you can use Campaign resources as students and parents prepare for the new school year. It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Campaign Resource Tip #2: Back-to-School Materials You Need for an A+ Outreach and Enrollment Push

Back-to-School season is a great time to enroll children and other family members in free or low-cost health coverage through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Remind parents that when their children have health insurance they can get back-to-school physicals, dental check-ups, eye exams and other services that will prepare them for the school year. The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has a wide variety of materials – posters, palm cards, fliers, and more – that you can customize in several languages for your outreach efforts.

Here are a few ideas for putting these materials to use:

  1. School-supply drives and backpack stuffers. Schools, community groups, local governments and other organizations sponsor Back-to-School events for families. Customize the Campaign's palmcards (available in English , Spanish , Chinese , Korean , and Vietnamese ) with your organization's information and check in with event planners about including the cards in giveaways.
  2. Immunizations and in-school physical exams. Work with local health departments and health care providers to offer enrollment assistance at immunization events and in-school physical exams. See if you can display the Campaign's posters (available in English , Spanish , Chinese , Korean , and Vietnamese ) in local health centers, school-based clinics, pharmacies and more. Customize your posters to include a number or website where local families can learn more about options in your area.
  3. Sports practices and athletic events. Let parents and coaches know about the importance of health coverage for their young athletes. Reach out to school athletic programs with materials that urge coaches to get involved in your outreach efforts. Start by distributing the Campaign's fact sheet for coaches available in English  and Spanish . Ask school athletic programs to share the Campaign's flyer or direct mail inserts about health coverage with players and their parents.

Get started today! Visit InsureKidsNow.gov for customizable  Back-to-School materials to spread the word about free or low-cost health coverage for children and teens. If you want even more tips, check out the Back-to-School Booster Catalog. And remember, these materials are just some of the new outreach resources from the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign.

Stay Connected With the National Campaign – In 3 Easy Steps

  • Follow the Campaign on Twitter. Don't forget to re-tweet or share our messages with your network or use our #Enroll365 hashtag in your posts.
  • Share our materials widely. We have more than 50 National Campaign resources available, including translated print materials, to use in outreach and enrollment efforts.
  • Contact us to get more involved with the National Campaign at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov or 1-855-313-KIDS (5437).

The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign Notes eNewsletter is distributed throughout the year and provides updates on National Campaign activities. If a friend or colleague forwarded this email to you, sign up to receive this eNewsletter directly to your inbox.