March 16, 2015
Many Connecting Kids to Coverage grantees and partners work hard to help Latino children enroll in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This commitment is especially important because Latino children are very likely to be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP, but remain uninsured. For example, nearly two-thirds of Latino children were eligible but not enrolled in 2012, according to a November 2014 report by the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute and National Council of La Raza.
Our recent webinar, "Outreach and Enrollment Strategies in Latino Communities", covered eligibility considerations and best practices for outreach and enrollment. The webinar featured guest speakers from the National Council of La Raza, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Salud Para La Gente, a Connecting Kids to Coverage grantee in Watsonville, California, and a San Diego grantee of the PICO National Network.
Outreach in Action
The Foundation for Positively Kids, a Connecting Kids to Coverage grantee in Las Vegas, Nevada, partners with the local Mexican consulate to reach Latino families with eligible children. One Saturday per month, community organizations are invited to set up information tables at the consulate to educate families on public benefits programs including Medicaid and CHIP, The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), English language classes, etc. The Foundation for Positively Kids meets with families at these on-site events. The consulate refers families to Positively Kids' enrollment assistance services and its pediatric health clinics, as well. As many as 39 referrals per month are made. The partnership has expanded the reach of Positively Kids' application assistance to many families that haven't yet enrolled their eligible children in health coverage. View a full listing of Mexican consulates in the USA.
Outreach Tip
In addition to trusted community organizations like Latin American consulates, explore your community for other partners that already reach Latino families, including local retailers, restaurants or English language education sites. Co-host enrollment events at these locations or ask to display your organization's information on a poster.
Partnership Opportunity
The PICO National Network is a network of local multi-faith organizations that uses a faith-based community organizing model to address problems like poverty, education access and lack of health insurance at a community level. Local PICO chapters already have the networks to reach uninsured populations but often don't have enrollment assistance staff. Partnering with PICO can be a great way to expand your organization's reach and also help PICO make their efforts more effective. For additional faith-based outreach strategies, check out the Campaign's tip sheet – Ways to Engage the Faith Community .
Campaign Materials
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign has materials available in English and Spanish. Customize flyers, posters, and palm cards with your organization’s logo and contact information. Or broaden your reach through Spanish-language radio. The Campaign has free English and Spanish radio PSAs and live-read scripts that you can share with local radio stations. See our Outreach Tool Library for more.
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).
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