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Since April, when the Iowa General Assembly approved expansion of Medicaid and adoption of the HAWK-I program, considerable progress has been made on the implementation of these two important programs for children's health care. Medicaid Expansion. The number of Iowa children enrolled in Medicaid has increased by 10% since eligibility requirements were broadened this July. School-age children and adolescents benefit most from the new eligibility guidelines. Providers like you are playing a key role in enrolling children in the program -- please refer families who may be eligible for these services to your local Department of Human Services (DHS) office. Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (HAWK-I) Program. Work is underway to meet the January 1, 1999 deadline for implementation of the HAWK-I program, which provides health insurance for many Iowa children who were previously without coverage. Members of the HAWK-I board, appointed by Governor Branstad in June are:
Opportunities for public input continue while rules are being developed; if you wish to provide input, please contact any member of the HAWK-I board. The next meeting of the board is September 28, 1998 at the Botanical Center in Des Moines. Monthly meeting will be held on the third Monday of each month from October 1998 through June 21, 1999. The board adopted the health care benefits specified in House File 2517. Professional disciplines recognized as approved providers will be determined by the insurance plans. The HAWK-I Board will re-evaluate the benefit package design for possible changes in state fiscal year 2000, after receiving input from the Clinical Advisory Committee and Special Health Care Needs Advisory Committee. These two advisory committees, the HAWK-I Special Health Care Needs Advisory Committee and the HAWK-I Clinical Advisory Committee, will be appointed in September. Jeffrey Lobas, MD, from the University of Iowa Child Health Specialty Clinics, has been appointed chairperson of the Special Health Care Needs Advisory Committee. The HAWK-I administrative contract will be awarded September 21st and begin October 1st. The administrative contractor will determine eligibility and manage enrollment, help children make the transition between Medicaid and HAWK-I coverage, distribute application forms, collect premiums, and recertify families each year. Zimmerman Company, a Des Moines-based public relations firm, has been awarded the contract for the HAWK-I Outreach Campaign. They will promote general awareness of the HAWK-I program and Medicaid expansion, connecting with key community partners to assist with information sharing and enrollment. Early this fall, Zimmerman Company will send information home from school with students to tell families about these new health insurance options. Resources on CHIP, SCHIP, and HAWK-I. Budetti PP. "Health insurance for children--A model for incremental health reform?" and Newachek PW, et al., "Health insurance and access to primary care for children," both in New England Journal of Medicine 1998 (338:8:541, and 513-519). Fraser I. "Access to health care," in Inman TJ, Robins LS (eds), Health Politics and Policy, 3rd edition (Albany, New York: Delmar Publishers, 1997, 288-305). Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) Children's Health Insurance Program, at http://www.hcfa.gov/init/children.htm. Iowa Department of Human Services, Medical Assistance (MEDICAID), at http://www.ime.state.ia.us/providers/. |
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