Maine’s Covering Kids and Families Campaign began in earnest this week, and the outreach program deserves some attention.

The campaign is trying to reach parents of children who are not covered by health insurance and convince them to apply for Maine-Care, which provides free or low-cost coverage for kids.

According to project estimates, there are more than 21,000 children in Maine who lack even basic health insurance. Of those, 12,000 are eligible for MaineCare but are not enrolled.

In general, families with income at 200 percent of the poverty line can enroll their children in the program. For a family of four, the income threshold is about $3,000 per month. Cost of coverage depends on a family’s income. For most eligible families, there is no cost. For some, premiums range from $5 per month to a high of $40 per month.

Every eligible child in the state should be enrolled in this program. The application is short, only two pages, and is available at town offices, schools, social service organizations, hospitals and at Hannaford stores.

Once enrolled, kids can receive a number of beneficial services, including hospital care, immunizations, vision screening, dental care, physical therapy, speech therapy and prescriptions.

Without health insurance, families are forced into difficult situations. According to Covering Kids and Families, children without health insurance are 70 percent more likely not to get care for common, treatable conditions than children with insurance. Those who do receive care often rely on the emergency room for services that could be more efficiently administered at a doctor’s office or clinic.

It’s easy to understand why a family might be reluctant to join a state aid program. There is often a cultural stigma associated with asking for help, and many parents might be leery of the Department of Humans Services, which administers the program. More than 102,000 children receive services through MaineCare. Those families have decided that making sure their kids get appropriate health care is important, and we certainly agree.

Healthy children make better students and go to school more prepared to learn. They miss fewer classes and perform better. In a study of California’s Healthy Families program, which is similar to MaineCare, enrolled students showed marked improvement in certain measures of school performance, including “paying attention in class” and “keeping up with school activities.”

There is no shame is asking for help, especially when we are trying to give kids an opportunity to be healthy and successful. The shame is that there are 12,000 children who could have health insurance, but don’t because their mom or dad hasn’t filled out a two-page application.

Everyone who applies might not be eligible, but better safe than sorry. Health insurance is available, all you have to do is ask.
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