Healthy Kids Plan Begins to Take Shape

October 1, 2009 -- Only one health insurer has stepped up to the plate to capture the statewide contract for the Healthy Kids program -- PacificSource Health Plans – while five other insurers are vying for regional contracts.

That means PacificSource won’t have to face any competition since state officials are adamant about having at least one statewide plan, according to Robin Linville, a procurement specialist with the Department of Consumer and Business Services who’s overseeing the process.

State officials will decide the regional carriers during the week of Oct. 12. They include Trillium Community Health based in Eugene, Kaiser Permanente, Samaritan Health Plans in Corvallis and two proposals from a group known as Clear One Health – which include Marion-Polk Community Health Plan, Clear Choice Health Plans and Douglas County IPA along with pediatricians from the Portland metropolitan area.

When the program rolls out, next January, children whose families earn above the poverty line – more than $44,100 – will only have to pay a small subsidy -- 15-30 percent of the insurance premium. Their insurance coverage will be similar to the Oregon Health Plan and include  medical, dental, vision care, prescription drugs, mental health and chemical dependency services and medical equipment – without any co-pays or deductibles.  

Meanwhile, children whose families earn below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level can now enroll in the Oregon Health Plan.

For more information or request an application, call 1-877-314-5678. More information is also available at www.oregonhealthykids.gov.