All Children Need Health Insurance

Since 1998, Children's Defense Fund-California has worked with our colleagues in the 100% Campaign to ensure that all of California's children gain access to affordable, comprehensive health coverage. Our efforts to expand coverage for children, simplify enrollment processes, and support outreach efforts have paid off in a significant decline in the number of uninsured children in the state.

However, there is still much work to do.  More than one million California children remain uninsured, including close to 700,000 children who are currently eligible for public health coverage, but not enrolled.  Our state must step up to the plate and take immediate action to significantly reduce the number of uninsured children in California.

Why Coverage for Kids is Important

Children with health insurance learn better: California children who newly enroll in a health coverage program have been shown to have a nearly 63% improvement in performance and paying attention in class.

Health coverage can save lives: Uninsured children admitted to the emergency room are 60% more likely to die than children with insurance.

Children's health coverage prevents hospitalizations: An estimated 6,300 childhood hospitalizations were avoided by the CCHI local initiatives between 2000 and 2005, saving the state $6.7 million

Providing children with health coverage can save the state money: In 2001, when Medi-Cal stopped requiring children to re-enroll every three months, more children stayed enrolled and received better access to primary and preventive care, ultimately saving California $17 million because children were hospitalized less frequently.

To learn more, please download the 100% Campaign's fact sheet on Facts About Children's Health Coverage in California, or see specific fact sheets on health coverage for Latino children, African American children, and Asian & Pacific Islander children.

Affordable Care Act: Early Benefits for Children

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the nation’s new health care law, is already improving health coverage and access for millions of California’s children and young adults, and will strengthen health care even more in the future.

Children with pre-existing health conditions can no longer be denied coverage (1.1 million in California).

Young adults under age 26 can gain coverage through their parents’ insurance (200,000 in California).

Children with private coverage no longer have:

• Copayments for preventive services;
• Annual or lifetime dollar limits on coverage; or
• Coverage taken away when they are sick.

Other ACA reforms are underway that will benefit children’s health when they are fully implemented in 2014.

• Up to 900,000 children will get individual coverage in the new California Health Benefit Exchange, and nearly 60% of them will receive federal subsidies to make coverage more affordable;
• California families will benefit from a seamless, “one-stop” enrollment system; and
• California adults with income under 133 percent of the poverty level (including some parents) will become eligible for Medi-Cal beginning in 2014.