Welcome!
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Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is pleased to present this first edition of our Children's Health Insurance e-newsletter. You have been subscribed to this monthly update on topics concerning children's health coverage in Rhode Island because you are an important part of our network. We will send time-sensitive material on a more frequent basis during the legislative session.
Note: If you would like to unsubscribe from this e-newsletter, please use the
link at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe.
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| Rhode Island is "Almost There" |
On Monday, October 27, 2008, Rhode Island leaders gathered at a policy roundtable to discuss trends in children's health insurance coverage. The roundtable highlighted findings of a new report by the New England Alliance for Children's Health (NEACH) at Community Catalyst and Rhode Island KIDS COUNT entitled Almost There: Covering the Remaining Uninsured Children in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island has the 11th best percentage of insured children in the U.S. (93.1% in 2007), but the rate has declined in recent years. About 2/3 of children in Rhode Island have coverage through employer sponsored health insurance and about 1/3 have health insurance through RIte Care or RIte Share. All types of health insurance are becoming less affordable for children and families.
The report's recommendations for making sure that all of Rhode Island's children have health insurance include providing incentives to businesses to offer health insurance coverage as a benefit to all employees, and preserving and strengthening RIte Care and RIte Share for low-income and working families. The report concludes that insuring all children is attainable in Rhode Island.
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| Calling All Families for Story Bank Project |
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has started a Story Bank Project to collect stories from families about their experiences related to health insurance access. We are seeking families with positive stories of how RIte Care has helped their children to be healthy, as well as children and parents who lost RIte Care coverage due to budget cuts over the past several years. Stories will be shared with key leaders so that they can hear how important health coverage is for Rhode Islanders, especially in difficult economic times.
If you know someone who has benefited from health coverage, who is uninsured or who has lost coverage, please let us know.
Each Rhode Island family is as unique and we are seeking all families with a story to tell to participate in this project. Learn more about the project by viewing this description, and please consider participating yourself or sending families our way by filling out a referral form or calling Rhode Island KIDS COUNT at 401-351-9400. Ask for Jessica Mack, ext. 15 or Jill Beckwith, ext. 20. |
| Upcoming Changes to RIte Care |
View Upcoming Changes to Health Insurance Coverage for Children and Families in Rhode Island that describes recent program changes and those scheduled to happen in the coming months.
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Order Your 2008 Factbook
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The annual Factbook
is the primary publication of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. The 2008 Rhode
Island KIDS
COUNT Factbook tracks progress on
60 indicators of child well-being. There are 15 child health indicators on
issues from birth through adolescence. The Children's Health Insurance Indicator
monitors the percentage of children with health insurance coverage as well as
town-by-town enrollment numbers in Medical Assistance, including RIte Care and
SSI.
Order your copy of
the 2008 Factbook today - limited supplies are available.
To order a Factbook,
download and mail the order form. Multiple copy discounts are available if you
want to order copies for use with Board members, classes, community groups or
other purposes. Call 351-9400 for more information.
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