NACDS reminds parents to explore insurance possibilities for their children

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is once again partnering with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Covering Kids and Families, a program created to encourage families to enroll in low-cost or free health care coverage programs.

Throughout the United States there are a large number of uninsured children and adults that are eligible to enroll in Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but unaware that these programs even exist.

In the spirit of the season, Covering Kids and Families, has issued a Back-to-School Campaign, in order to reach millions of families by spreading the word about low-cost or free health care coverage. NACDS has committed to work with the campaign, along with its partners and supporters, to encourage parents to place "enrolling their children for health care coverage" at the top of their back-to-school checklist.

In addition to holding wellness and enrollment fairs, the collaborating companies are working to spread the message further through advertisements, public service announcements and by distributing information through their own Web sites, listserv announcements, newsletters, conferences and mailings.

"Promoting awareness of insurance options is consistent with the policy agenda of NACDS, which fosters enhanced access to health care," said NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson. "We applaud the work done by Covering Kids and Families and its efforts to educate families about Medicaid and SCHIP."

While Medicaid is available only to certain low-income individuals and families who fit into an eligibility group, SCHIP was designed with the goal of expanding health insurance to children whose families earn too much money to be eligible for Medicaid, but not enough money to purchase private insurance. Free posters, fliers and bookmarks encouraging families to find out if their children are eligible—by calling the national toll-free hotline, 877-KIDS-NOW—can be found at <a title="www.covertheuninsured.org" href="http://www.covertheuninsured.org/" />www.covertheuninsured.org or by calling 877-655-2889.