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

Effective Date: August 24, 2001

Approval Date: 11 special populations.

The Community Healthcare Association of Sioux Falls does not contribute any funds to the State of South Dakota for the operation of the Covering Kids Initiative. This organization conducts their own outreach and targets Native American and other special populations in specific geographical areas of the state. This grant money is not being used to match any federal dollars for SCHIP.

2.2.2. The steps the state is currently taking to identify and enroll all uncovered children who are eligible to participate in health insurance programs that involve a public-private partnership:

When South Dakota implemented its SCHIP program in July of 1998, the South Dakota Caring Program for Children was a public-private partnership to make very limited services available to eligible children. The Program operated on an annual donation from Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Dakota, administrative support from the South Dakota Department of Health, and private donations. The Caring Program did not provide qualified health care coverage, did not operate in all parts of South Dakota, and covered only a very limited number of children under 133% of FPL. No Caring for Children benefits would have ever been available to children expected to be served by the CHIP-NM program. The South Dakota Caring for Children Program ceased to exist in 1999, long before action by the state to implement a CHIP-NM program.

South Dakota counties continue to be required to provide medical services for persons in the State who are determined medically indigent. Eligibility is restricted to persons with very limited income and resources. Services are restricted to coverage of emergency hospital services only, with the exception of two counties, Minnehaha and Pennington which operate community health centers to make primary care clinic services available. As such, the County Indigent Program is not a health resource available to low income uninsured children with needs for full coverage of primary and preventive health care. All counties operate as the payer of last resort and provide referrals and assistance with Medicaid applications.

2.3. Describe the procedures the state uses to accomplish coordination of SCHIP with other public and private health insurance programs, sources of health benefits coverage for children, and relevant child health programs, such as title V, that provide health care services for low-income children to increase the number of children with creditable health coverage. (Previously 4.4.5.) (Section 2102)(a)(3) and 2102(c)(2) and 2102(b)(3)(E)) (42CFR 457.80(c))