Free Health Care Plan for Uninsured Madison Public School Students
October 28, 2009
No student in a Madison public school would go without primary health care under a plan by a network of local health care providers that could be launched early next year.
Though details are sketchy, cost projections are being closely guarded and logistics have yet to be worked out, a coalition of 11 agencies and medical groups has vowed to link an estimated 1,500 Madison students who do not have private insurance or qualify for the state Medicaid program known as BadgerCare Plus to a physician or clinic.
That would include students who are illegal immigrants, whom schools are required by federal law to educate, and students from families considered "working poor," who don’t have insurance through a parent’s job but whose inc ome exceeds the maximum allowed for coverage through BadgerCare Plus.
"The goal is to connect children to primary and preventive care, the most cost-effective way for kids who are uninsured to get care, to avoid them having to use the emergency room inappropriately," said Emily Curtis, community care manager for Group Health Cooperative. The nonprofit, member-owned group already provides health care to otherwise-uninsured students enrolled in five Madison schools through its adopt-a-school program.
The new districtwide coverage, slated to begin in early 2010, could expand to outlying school districts as early as 2011, Curtis said.
"The collaborative nature of it is powerful – and complicated," she said. "Logistically this is a very significant, multifaceted project. Making sure that it’s seamless for the children, for the health care providers, and for the school is a significant challenge."
Currently, it’s up to the district’s 33 school nurses to identify uninsured students and track down low- or no-cost care for them. Some students receive care through adopt-a-school programs such as GHC’s, which this year is serving 140 uninsured students with preventive exams and vaccinations, plus free eye exams, eyeglasses, prescriptions and cab transportation for appointments as needed.
Although GHC’s work will serve as a model, the services that will be available districtwide under the new program, which has yet to be named, are still under discussion, Curtis said.
Madison School Board members Ed Hughes and Marj Passman said they first heard of the proposal last week during a luncheon sponsored by the Foundation for Madison Public Schools.
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"I can’t believe how grateful we are for them to take in our children," said Passman, a retired teacher. "I can’t tell you how many times as a teacher I had a student who was in pain or hurting or sick. Sometimes the school nurse would spend a whole day trying to find a pro bono doctor."
The idea to cover uninsured students in grades K-12 grew out of meetings convened by United Way of Dane County, Curtis said. Along with GHC, United Way, and the city’s school district and health department, partners include Access Community Health Centers, the Dane County Medical Society, Dean Health Systems, Meriter Health Services, St. Mary’s Hospital, UW Health and Wildwood Family Clinic.
"We think it’s a great concept," said Sheryl Green, administrator at Wildwood Family Clinic, an East Side family practice with 14 physicians. Although financial details have not been worked out, "We do go into it knowing the clinic will absorb those costs for those children," Green said.
Madison school Superintendent Dan Nerad said he hoped the program could start "as soon as possible."
"Between school and community, I believe that one of the responsibilities we have is to remove barriers to learning and to aid children in their development so they can learn as much as possible," Nerad said. "It’s very much of a concern to me that we live in a time where we have many of our kids who don’t have to worry about their health care needs being met, but there’s also children who don’t have regular access" to health care.