Background information
 King County has a unique opportunity to create a program to provide health insurance coverage and access to children currently without health insurance in partnership with the State of Washington, which has declared an intention to cover all children in the state by 2010. To explore the potential of such a program, King County Executive Ron Sims called for a feasibility study to analyze the costs, potential savings, potential revenue sources, benefit package modeling, delivery system linkages and enhanced prevention services necessary to pilot an expansion of health coverage and access to all children living in King County with incomes up to 300% federal poverty level (FPL). That work was completed in the Spring of 2006.
Following review of the Study findings, in April 2006, King County Executive Sims convened a Children’s Health Access Task Force (CHATF) of child health experts to advise King County on the creation of an innovative count-based children’s health program. Dr. Maxine Hayes, the State Health Officer, and Dr. Ben Danielson, the Medical Director at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic co-chaired the Task Force. The Task Force’s work was supported by Milliman Actuaries and Consultants who carried out actuarial analyses of various program designs.
The Task Force was asked to consider the feasibility study and to respond to the Executive’s goals for a King County children’s health program that would:
- Create a program that can fill the existing gap in coverage for low-income children
- Design and implement a model program that will expand coverage and improve access
- Evaluate the approach in a way that will inform
- Do so in an affordable and cost effective manner
The Task Force met three times from April – June 2006 and delivered its final recommendations to Executive Sims at the end of June 2006.
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