Page 14

Model Application Template for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program

Effective Date:

Approval Date: 14 strategies will be explored with the local office eligibility workgroup which has representatives from all six service areas of HHSS.

Outreach and promotional efforts will also be extended to providers of services. This will be done in collaboration with the Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Family Practice. See Appendix A for provider outreach letters sent to physicians in May 1998 and to other providers in June 1998.

Efforts will continue to identify dental providers not enrolled or who have a very limited number of Medicaid clients, and who practice in underserved dental areas. Dentists will receive personal invitations to participate or to increase participation. A survey to dentists regarding Kids Connection and the need for increased access was mailed in May 1998. Compilation of responses will follow. See Appendix B for a copy of the survey. This has begun in collaboration with the Nebraska Dental Association.

Children with special health care needs will continue to be identified and enrolled in Medicaid/Kids Connection through the same avenues as are currently being used. Staff within the Medically Handicapped Children’s Program, Early Intervention, and CHOICES (Children’s Healthcare Options Improved Through Collaborative Efforts and Services) program will be informed of the new rules and regulations surrounding Kids Connection, as well as the additional locations within communities that can be accessed for enrollment.

Focus groups and key informant interviews will be utilized to obtain the customers’ and providers’ input and assistance in communicating with hard-to- reach populations, to identify needs specific to this group, and to determine methods and resources to address those needs.

Head Start and Early Head Start providers in Nebraska are eager to assist in providing outreach to families with uninsured children. Representatives from the Head Start community have been involved with the planning of Kids Connection since last fall, and these programs will play an integral role in identifying and enrolling children of all ages in Kids Connection. Coordination with schools in Nebraska has been a priority in planning for Kids Connection. Discussions with Nebraska Department of Education administrators, school officials and local school boards have helped to gain the support and involvement of educational institutions. Strategies identified thus far around school activities include adding information about Kids Connection, including the mail-in application form, to the summer mailings and news releases regarding eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, determining the most effective locations to provide presumptive eligibility for children, and