1. 2006 Income Limits for Hawaii's Free Health Insurance Programs Increased A family of four can now earn up to $46,000 annually and their children may qualify for QUEST and Medicaid. That is $1,480 more than the 2005 limit for a family of four. Last year over 4,000 additional children and youth were enrolled and we look forward to helping more kids participate in Hawaii's free health insurance programs in 2006. Details are available in various sections of our web site: Income Guidelines Form 1134 Hawaii Covering Kids English Flyer 2. Impact of Covering Kids & Families Projects Since August 2002, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. has been evaluating the Covering Kids & Families program which supports community-based initiatives to reduce the number of children and adults who are eligible for public health insurance but not enrolled. Reports on outreach, simplification, sustainability, coalitions, economic and political barriers, and access to care, including new research findings, are available on The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation web site: 3. Evaluation of the San Mateo County Children's Health Initiative: Second Annual Report The report is part of the team's evaluation of the San Mateo Children's Health Initiative (CHI), a program launched in 2003 to ensure that all children have access to comprehensive health insurance. It describes the governance structure and financing of the CHI, access to health care services in the county, satisfaction with public health insurance programs on the part of both parents and providers, and the effect that the CHI has had on hospital finances. Additionally, the report provides enrollment growth, service utilization, and cost data for the three children's public health insurance programs in the county: Healthy Kids, Healthy Families, and Medi-Cal. The authors identify several areas requiring the attention of county policymakers, such as the need to improve access to after-hours care and dental care, increase use of preventive service, and develop new sources of financing for the CHI. For a copy of the report in PDF format, click here. 4. Implications of Public Health Insurance Cuts on Hospital Emergency Departments A new Health Affairs article and a related policy brief conclude that a decrease in Medicaid and CHIP enrollment would lead to an increase in emergency department (ED) visits by the uninsured, but little change in overall ED volume. The results suggest that cost containment efforts that reduce eligibility and enrollment will achieve cost savings largely by reducing access and shifting costs away from Medicaid and CHIP.