April is National Minority Health Month and the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign is raising awareness about the barriers families of underserved communities like racial or ethnic minority populations face in accessing health coverage, such as poverty, limited English proficiency, low health literacy, limited enrollment assistance, and broader social and economic factors that drive health, often referred to as social determinants of health.
These barriers have implications – especially presenting challenges for children who need preventive and routine care for lifelong physical and social development, academic success, and overall health. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), 9% of Hispanic children and 7% of Black children lacked a usual source of care when sick compared to 4% of White children in 2021. KFF also found that the rates of chronic diseases like asthma were more common in children that belong to minority groups, with Black children nearly twice as likely to have asthma as White children (17% vs 9%), which could be managed with access to routine care.
The Campaign works closely with partners and organizations to conduct culturally tailored l outreach to ensure eligible families of all backgrounds can enroll and receive the comprehensive medical coverage that Medicaid and CHIP provide. There are existing materials available on InsureKidsNow.gov in 24 languages such as the Mental Health Poster, Dental Health Flyer, and Dental Health Tear Pads to use in ongoing multicultural outreach efforts and to help improve access to affordable care in communities.
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can help provide access to important medical care, such as routine check-ups, mental health services, dentist visits, immunizations, and more keeping children and teens healthy. Enrollment is open year-round. Families can apply for Medicaid or CHIP at any time of year. To learn more about finding coverage, visit InsureKidsNow.gov.
Check Out Our Latest Webinar!
On February 14, the Campaign held a webinar highlighting the dental benefits and services available through Medicaid and CHIP. Experts discussed the barriers to dental care that patients and providers experience across different racial and ethnic groups, family income levels and more. The webinar also explored the connection between mental health and oral health, and included best practices that organizations can use when connecting with families and resources to support outreach and enrollment.
View the webinar slides and recording here. We encourage you to share this webinar with colleagues and other organizations and use the resources presented within your community. Our next webinar will be held in the Spring! If you have webinar topic ideas or best practices you’d like to share, please contact us at: ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
Upcoming Observances
- National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (March)
- National Nutrition Month (March)
- Save Your Vision Month (March)
- World Oral Health Day (March 20)
- American Diabetes Alert Day (March 26)
- Purple Day for Epilepsy Awareness (March 26)
- National Doctor’s Day (March 30)
- National Child Abuse Prevention Month (April)
- National Autism Awareness Month (April)
- Medicaid Awareness Month (April)
- National Public Health Week (April 1-7)
- World Health Day (April 7)
- National Infant Immunization Week (April 22-29)
Stay Connected with the Campaign
- Share our Campaign materials. Our ever-growing, Outreach Tool Library features a variety of targeted resources to use in your outreach and enrollment efforts, available in multiple formats and languages.
- Contact us. To get more involved with the Campaign, contact us via email at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
- Follow the Campaign on X (formally 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.
Subscribe to the “Campaign Notes” eNewsletter
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign eNewsletter “Campaign Notes” is distributed throughout the year and provides updates on Campaign activities. If a friend or colleague forwarded this email to you, we invite you to sign up to receive this eNewsletter directly to your inbox.