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State Children’s Health Insurance Program

Phase 1 Effective Date: April 1, 1998

Revised: 1/26/98, 2/19/98, 3/3/98, 3/6/98 Phase 2 Effective Date: July 1, 1998

Revised: 8/20/98, 8/24/98, 10/1/99, 7/28/00, 1/31/01, 7/02/02, 7/22/02, 1/3/03, 2/13/04, 9/27/04, 11/15/04, 8/11/05, 10/1/06, 7/1/09, 7/1/10, 7/1/11, 7/1/12 10 Coverage and Coordination (Section 2102 (a)(1)-(3)) and (Section 2105)(c)(7)(A)-(B))

2.1. Describe the extent to which, and manner in which, children in the state including targeted low-income children and other classes of children, by income level and other relevant factors, such as race and ethnicity and geographic location, currently have creditable health coverage (as defined in 42 CFR 457.10). To the extent feasible, make a distinction between creditable coverage under public health insurance programs and public-private partnerships (See Section 10 for annual report requirements). (42 CFR 457.80(a)) Insured Children Almost 2.8 million of Florida’s 3.6 million children under age 19 are insured. Females represent 49 percent of insured children and males represent 51 percent. White children account for 80.4 percent of insured children under age 19, and non- whites account for 19.6 percent. At the inception of the Florida KidCare Program, the state lacked sufficient information about the distribution of the insured by geographic region. However, the 1998 Legislature authorized funding for a comprehensive health care study, the primary goal of which was to update the estimates of Florida’s insured and uninsured populations. This study included information on insurance and uninsurance status by geographic region, race and ethnicity, employment and income level, the extent of dependent coverage, and type of coverage employees select. (See updated information from the insurance study, on page 10) Uninsured Children Florida has one of the nation’s largest uninsured populations. An estimated 12.1 percent of Florida’s 4.4 million children under age 19 are uninsured. Of the approximately 646,430 uninsured children, males represent slightly more than one half (53 percent). Whites account for 42.1 percent, African Americans account for 19.3 percent, Hispanics account for 36.3 percent, Asian and Pacific Islanders account for 2.2 percent, and Native Americans account for less than 0.1 percent. As a consequence, uninsured children are typically treated for urgent or emergent conditions in inappropriate settings and do not share the continuity of care enjoyed by their insured peers. Most of Florida’s uninsured children — 42 percent — reside in the southern part of the state. Thirty-six percent reside in Central Florida counties, and 22 percent reside in North Florida. Estimates of the uninsured children by geographic region were obtained by assuming that the statewide uninsurance rate of 23 percent is equally