Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2006)

Child Health Plan Plus, a low-cost health insurance program for families, will still be available to Larimer County residents who qualify, but the Health District will no longer be assisting with enrollment.

CHP+ is a health insurance program for uninsured Colorado children age 18 and younger whose families earn or own too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. It pays for healthcare services including well-child checkups and physicals, immunizations, doctor visits, sick care, vision care, dental care, prenatal care and medications. Families must meet certain requirements to participate in CHP+ based on family size and income. Many working families are eligible and can participate in CHP+.

The Health District launched the CHP+ Outreach Program in February 2001 at a time when many families were failing to take advantage of the state-sponsored insurance plan because they were unaware of it or had difficulty filling out the paperwork.

With support from the United Way of Larimer County and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, the Health District set out to enroll as many eligible children in the county as possible. It raised awareness of CHP+ through outreach activities and helped parents complete the enrollment form during home visits and convenient office appointments.

After five years, the outreach project had assisted more than 3,100 families and more than 5,500 children, reaching its goal of enrolling 85 percent of eligible children in Larimer County. At least 3,000 of those children were first-time enrollees.

“Without CHP+ and our efforts to enroll families, these children would not have received health insurance and, therefore, would have been unlikely to get healthcare,” says John Newman director of clinical services for the Health District.

Things changed, however, when the state introduced its new Colorado Benefits Management System. The statewide computer system enables families to enroll in several different assistance programs – including CHP+ – through a single application process, reducing the need for a standalone enrollment service such as the Health District’s.

Parents now can apply for CHP+ and other programs at the Larimer County Department of Human Services. Additionally, Salud Family Health Center will help its clinic patients enroll in CHP+.

Finally, families also can request an application from CHP+ and complete the enrollment process on their own.