Sink Moving to Address Failure of Legislature to Increase Access to Healthcare for Florida's Children

During the 2007 session, the legislature was unable to pass legislation to improve the Florida Healthy Kids program and make it easier for families to purchase affordable health insurance for their children.

Because of the legislature's failure to act, CFO Alex Sink has formed the Ad Hoc Committee for the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation to research ways to simplify the program and focus it around the needs of families.

The committee will examine ways to make it easier for families to enroll in the low-cost health insurance program and increase the number of children the program retains.

Sink, who serves as the Chair of the Healthy Kids Board, has charged the committee to identify how the Board can streamline the Healthy Kids program without the need for legislative action.

"Right now, families are forced to navigate through a bureaucratic maze—a spaghetti factory, if you will—just to purchase health insurance for their children," said Sink.

The Florida Healthy Kids program is one of four components of the larger Florida KidCare program, the state’s health insurance program for uninsured children. Florida Healthy Kids allows working families the opportunity to purchase low-cost health insurance for their children ages 5 through 19 years of age. To be eligible for discounted premiums, families must earn less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $40,000 for a family of four.