News

PICO Florida

March 15, 2010

PICO Florida: Health Insurance for Our Children

 PICO Florida is four federations of congregations in Orange County (FOCUS), Brevard County (Congregations for Community Action), Alachua County (ACTION Network), and Escambia County (Greater Pensacola Community Organization). Our 53 congregations represent more than 60,000 families and reach low to moderate income communities in each city.. Our congregation community organizations work to develop leadership and transform communities locally in each of our counties, together across the state, and nationally through the PICO National Network. www.piconationalnetwork.org

We have collaboratively worked with Florida health organizations to reduce barriers to enrolling families in KidCare through passage of legislation that will increase enrollment for Florida's 500,000 eligible but uninsured children. Florida has the second highest number of uninsured but eligible children of all States. Provisions of the new legislation that went into effect July 1 include:

  • Reducing the disenrollment penalty for non-payment of premiums from 60 to 30 days.
  • Reducing the waiting period for voluntary cancellation of insurance coverage from 6 months to 60 days.
  • Providing good cause exceptions to the waiting period for subsidized coverage for cancellation of other coverage.
  • Allowing electronic verification of income.

PICO Florida is now working with Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, Agency for Health Care Administration(AHCA) and legislators to target families enrolled in other federal programs to enroll in KidCare. Seventy percent of eligible families are also enrolled in other programs such as WIC childcare, and hot lunch programs through Express Lane Eligibility.

Express Lane Eligibility (ELE) will enroll large numbers of uninsured children, create an efficient and consistent cross federal enrollment program for many programs, generate state savings in reduced administration costs, and get additional federal funding.  The Florida Senate Health and Human Services Committee have requested a feasibility study to implement ELE in school hot lunch programs. The study is being done by the Office of Program Policy and General Accountability (OPPAGA) and is expected to be completed in March for consideration of funding in this spring's legislative session.