This children's health insurance program ended on 31 December 2008. There were 2,034 kids enrolled. Please Note: Contrary to misinformation hyped in the media, Hawaii has never had a crowd-out problem with any of its children's health insurance programs. Keiki Care Update 2009 HB989 CD1 Keiki Care - Passed. Amends Act 236, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, which established the Hawaii Children's Health Care Program (known as Keiki Care). Extends the program to June 30, 2012 and requires primary care services delivered through federally qualified health centers. The appropriation was scaled back to $200,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2009-2011. This will cover 600 kids annually which is 30 percent of the previous Keiki Care enrollment. The Governor vetoed the bill on 10 July 2009. The State Legislature overrode this veto on 15 July 2009. The Governor announced on 16 July 2009 the Keiki Care funds will not be released. In the meantime, HMSA Children's Plan is currently available for $55 per month per child. Call 948-5555 on Oahu or 1-800-620-4672 on the Neighbor Islands for more information. As of 31 December 2009, there were 2,444 children enrolled in this plan. You can download a chart comparing eligibility, benefits, and costs for QUEST and QExA with HMSA Children's Plan in PDF format by clicking here: Free and Low-Cost Health Insurance Programs for Children and Youths. Uninsured Kids: Hospitals Pay the Price 2008 Hawaii Hospital Emergency Department Data for Uninsured Kids Ages 0-17 Years Old 3,302 Total Number of Visits $1,346 Average Hospital Bill $4.4 Million Total Hospital Bills Source: Hawaii Health Information Corporation "Children without a primary care physician, which health insurance provides, are 9 times more likely to be hospitalized for a preventable problem." America's Agenda: Health Care for Children "As state budgets face monetary shortfalls, taxpayers should know it is cheaper to cover kids with health insurance than cover expensive hospital costs for uninsured kids." - Barbara Luksch, Hawaii Covering Kids project director "Children who have no regular access to a doctor are more likely to come down with diseases they could spread. Society now wastes money when uninsured families take children to hospital emergency rooms for problems that could have been solved earlier in a doctor's office. We all end up paying for this health care one way or the other. The question is, are we going to be smart about it?" - Tom Vilsack, Iowa former governor "As it stands, these untreated kids suffer until it's clear that something must be done and then they wind up in hospital emergency rooms treated with some of the highest-cost health care in the world. Their families can't and don't pay those costs; they are foisted on the hospitals and their paying patients.”" - Editorial Board, The Oregonian "Hospital administrators expect to provide even more uncompensated care--charity care plus unpaid bills--this year especially in emergencies for those who couldn't afford preventive care." - Lisa Rosetta and Heather May, The Salt Lake Tribune View most of these articles at Children’s Health Insurance Update 12/23/08 Our Keiki Care fact sheet and opinion article are available in PDF format. Hawaii's Uninsured Kids Emergency Department Visits 2000-2007 show that as the number of insured kids continues to increase, visits by uninsured children and youths have declined from 5.25% to 3.79%. Recent News Articles Maui Time Weekly (09/24/09): Hawaii's Keiki Care Program has taken a beating from opponents of government-subsidized health insurance. But was it really a failure? Honolulu Star-Bulletin (12/16/08): Keiki Care ultimately helps Hawaii families and economy Hawaii Reporter (12/05/08): Keiki Care Helps Hawaii's Economy Hawaii247.com (12/05/08): Green speaking up for keiki health care Bigisland-Bigisland.com (12/05/08): Quest Health Care Program and the Recent State Cutbacks on Keiki (Child) Health Care and Health Insurance Hawaii Reporter (12/05/08): Hawaii Should Invest in Universal Health Insurance Coverage for Children Honolulu Weekly (12/03/08): What about the children? Honolulu Star-Bulletin (11/30/08): Assure health care to Hawaii's children Honolulu Star-Bulletin (11/26/08): Analysts fear end of Keiki Care Honolulu Advertiser (11/26/08): 18,000 Hawaii kids lack insurance Honolulu Advertiser (11/26/08): Keiki Care Helps Hawaii's Economy Background Information Approximately 4.9 percent of our children and youths are uninsured statewide which means over 14,000 kids do not have health insurance. Approximately 7,000 of those who are uninsured may be eligible for public health insurance. Hawaii Covering Kids sponsored two meetings to determine who the uninsured "gap groups" are and how we can cover them. Here are links to our minutes: October 2006 and January 2007 QUEST, Medicaid Fee-for-Service, and HMSA Children's Plan These are Hawaii's free and low-cost health insurance programs available for children and youths. More details are available on our Children's Health Insurance Programs web page. 2007 Legislative Initiative The Hawaii State Legislature bill (HB1008 HD2 SD2 CD1) to help uninsured children and youths was passed by the legislature and the governor signed it (Act 236) on 30 June 2007. Known as the Keiki Care bill, it will accomplish the following: 1. State pays monthly premiums for children enrolled in QUEST-Net (251-300% FPL); 2. Create newborns special fund to cover up to $10,000 of health care per eligible uninsured infant who is 0-30 days old; 3. Establish free Keiki Care plan for children ages 31 days to 19 years old who are ineligible for QUEST or Medicaid. Child must live in Hawaii and be continuously uninsured six months (with an exception for children who “income out” of Med-QUEST’s programs); and 4. Change Hawaii Revised Statutes to create household income parity between Immigrant Children’s Plan and Med-QUEST’s State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Note: HMSA has agreed to continue its children’s plan for parents and guardians who choose to pay $55 per month rather than have their child uninsured for six months. QUEST Is Best Eligible children and youths in households with income below 300% FPL can now get free comprehensive QUEST and Medicaid health insurance! 2008 income limits are available from these web site pages: 1. Information about QUEST and Medicaid Fee-for-Service programs for children and youths is in Our Community section, 2. Hawaii Covering Kids: Revised flyers in 21 languages can be downloaded from the Hot Happenings section, and 3. Form 1134 is in the Library of Forms section. Read our news article to help people recently laid off: Unemployed urged to get kids on QUEST in The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 18, 2008. State Coverage Initiatives for Children Hawaii is joining other states with proposals to find health insurance solutions for all children and youths. This web page at The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured site has a map and current list of each state's initiatives.