What is the Children’s Health Initiative?
The Children’s Health Initiative (CHI) was established to provide access to health insurance to the estimated 71,000 uninsured children in Santa Clara County. CHI includes three health insurance programs: Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and a local program called Healthy Kids.
Our History
The Children’s Health Initiative was launched on January 2, 2001. This initiative originated at the grassroots level through the vision and efforts of Working Partnerships USA and People Acting in Community Together (PACT). These two organizations approached the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors with an innovative proposal to use tobacco settlement funds in creating a new health insurance product for children, which became the Healthy Kids program. Once approved, the goal was established to make comprehensive health insurance accessible to 100% of the children living in Santa Clara County with family income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Our Program
To meet the new goal, the Children’s Health Initiative incorporates three major program components:
- Every child in Santa Clara County shall have real access to regular health care as a result of being insured.
- No uninsured child who is a resident of Santa Clara County, and whose parents have an income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, shall be turned away from receiving health coverage.
- Establish an Outreach Plan, which will include education of families on the appropriate use of their benefits and the health care system, and improve enrollment retention.
Outreach and Enrollment
Through an extensive outreach and enrollment project, workers and volunteers discuss the benefits of health insurance for children with families, evaluate the families’ eligibility, and assist the family in enrolling their child/children in the appropriate health insurance program (Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, or Healthy Kids). The appropriate plan depends upon the child’s age, residency status, family size, and income. Moreover, children within the same family may qualify for different programs. The following table demonstrates how these factors combine to determine eligibility in each program.
| Age | Income Limit as % of Federal Poverty Level | Program Eligibility |
| < 1 year | At or below 200% 200-250% 0-300% |
Medi-Cal Healthy Families Healthy Kids* |
| 1-5 years | At or below 133% 133-250% 0-300% |
Medi-Cal Healthy Families Healthy Kids* |
| 6-18 years | At or below 100% 100-250% 0-300% |
Medi-Cal Healthy Families Healthy Kids* |
* Children ineligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families
are eligible for Healthy Kids up to 300% of FPL
To obtain more information about enrolling your child(ren), please call 1-888-244-5222.