Ted Little: All Kids program worth looking into

With all the discussions, debates and controversies surrounding the national health care debate in Washington, I felt that it would be timely to bring to my constituents’ attention what Alabama taxpayers are doing in order to help Alabama obtain leadership recognition in children’s health care.
The Alabama Legislature in the 2009 session voted to expand its children’s health care insurance program by picking up an additional 14,000 children in the state program that is referred to as All Kids. With the additional 14,000 children now enrolled, we have a cumulative number in excess of 69,000 children receiving health insurance coverage, which previously they were totally without. Alabama has been a national leader in this effort for many years now as we were the first state in the nation to offer the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

At the present, the All Kids program serves families at 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Our expansion will now cover a family of four at 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which is a gross income limit of $66,156. This program is directly of assistance to many children of Alabama’s working families and its benefits are extremely meaningful in these days of a struggling economy. All Kids programs help families whose income is too high to qualify for certain federal aid programs, but too low to afford basic health insurance. Many Alabama workers work for companies that do not provide health insurance; consequently, their children likewise have no insurance
coverage.

With the All Kids program, children younger than 19 are offered regular checkups, doctor visits, prescriptions, dental and vision care, hospital and physician services. Costs are low with small co-pays, with no co-pays for preventive services. No child can be turned down because of pre-existing conditions.

The All Kids program is not free. Parents who get into the program because of the expansion will pay $100 annually per child, with a maximum of $300 per family with children.

It wasn’t easy finding the money to fund this expansion, but I believe in tough economic times leadership requires the setting of priorities and the funding of priorities. It is in tough times that you learn what is really important, and helping the children of working families is the right thing to do — the right thing to do for these families, the right thing to do for Alabama and the right thing to do for our quality of life. A $7 million state match to $24 million in federal funds will pay for the expansion.

This funding to expand All Kids started this past Oct. 1. Those parents who meet the income qualification for All Kids and want to enroll their children in the program can apply with the Alabama Department of Public Health by calling their toll-free number at 888-373-5437, or by applying at their Web site, http://www.adph.org. Applications are also available at local county health departments.

Sen. Ted Little represents District 27 and can be reached at 887-3472, 800-835-4885 and http://www.tedlittle.com