Say “here” if your organization is conducting outreach for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) this Back-to-School season! Many parents got their children ready for the new school year by ensuring immunizations were up-to-date and annual physicals were current.
Data show that children with health insurance are less likely to miss class and more likely to perform better in school compared to those who do not have health insurance. That is why it is important to inform parents about available health coverage options for their children up to age 19 – and keep them enrolled throughout the year. Your organization can help parents who may have Medicaid and CHIP-eligible children learn about free or low-cost health insurance to cover the care services they need to fully participate in classroom and after-school activities.
Individuals playing an active role in school settings, such as school administrators, coaches, or teachers have a unique opportunity to share information with parents about available health coverage. Check out the resources on InsureKidsNow.gov for ideas on how to share Medicaid and CHIP information during the Back-to-School season and in school settings overall.
Check out our Back-to-School resources to plan your outreach and enrollment efforts.
Outreach Tip: Many schools require students to be up-to-date on their immunizations to participate in extracurricular activities. Focus some of your Back-to-School outreach on how parents with eligible children can get the vaccines they need through Medicaid and CHIP.
Connecting Kids (and Teens!) to Coverage
Teenagers may be eligible for free or low-cost health insurance through Medicaid and CHIP, yet eligible teens (age 13 and older), are less likely to be enrolled than younger children. Medicaid and CHIP cover many services that may be especially useful for teens, such as annual check-ups or mental health services. If your organization is planning outreach that coincides with Back-to-School, learn more about how you can collaborate with school-based partners to let parents know that Medicaid and CHIP covers teens up to age 19. Check out these five ways to get teens enrolled .
Resource Spotlight
From the youngest children in pre-school, to teens in high school, students are better equipped to excel when they are getting the healthcare services they need. Families trust information from their child’s school, making schools a natural partner for finding and enrolling eligible children. Organizations eager to work with schools should always start by reaching out to the superintendent or principal or other administrative decision makers. If you are working with schools check out these tips for reaching children .
Stay Connected with the Campaign
- Share our Campaign materials. We have an ever-growing Outreach Tool Library featuring targeted resources to use in developing your rural health strategy and inform your outreach and enrollment efforts, as well as many other initiatives, available in multiple languages and formats.
- Contact us. To get more involved with the Campaign, contact us via email at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
- Follow the Campaign on Twitter. Remember to re-tweet or share our messages from @IKNGov with your social network, and be sure to use our #Enroll365 and #KidsEnroll hashtags in your posts.
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