You and your children may be eligible for low-cost or free health insurance! Programs exist in every state and the District of Columbia. For information about low-cost and free children's health coverage, visit insurekidsnow.gov. For information on coverage for adults, read the Guides to Finding Health Insurance Coverage in Your State from Cover the Uninsured.

Indiana - St. Joseph County Covering Kids & Families
Forming a well-connected media advisory committee to produce results
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Covering Kids & Families is no longer open to subscribers. Please visit covertheuninsured.org to sign up for e-mail updates on the issue of the uninsured.

The content on this page is no longer current. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our Cover the Uninsured Web site: http://covertheuninsured.org/whatyoucando/

Ten Easy Ways to Get Involved!

There are more than 8 million uninsured children in the United States and many are eligible for low-cost or free health coverage through Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Please join our efforts to enroll eligible, uninsured children and families in low-cost and free health care coverage. During the annual Back-to-School Campaign, Covering Kids & Families coalitions, corporate and national organizational partners stage media events, enrollment drives and other outreach activities to encourage parents of eligible, uninsured children to put enrolling their kids in Medicaid or SCHIP at the top of their back-to-school checklist.

There are many ways to help uninsured children get enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP during the Back-to-School Campaign:

1.	Plan an Event or Activity and Tell Us What You're Doing Are you already taking action in your community to help inform parents of eligible, uninsured children about the availability of low-cost and free health care coverage? Register your event and be listed on the Covering Kids & Families Web site.
2.	Order and Distribute Free Materials Order and distribute free materials such as fliers, posters, lapel stickers and bookmarks, and hang posters on bulletin boards at community recreation centers, health care clinics, libraries, grocery stores and hospitals.
3.	Sign Up for E-mail Updates Sign up to receive periodic e-mail updates about Covering Kids & Families. The Communications Team sends out updates as well as weekly "countdown" messages leading up to the launch of the Back-to-School Campaign. These e-mails include helpful tips on planning Back-to-School Campaign activities.
4.	Deliver Fliers Order and deliver fliers to school administrators and school nurses, business owners, religious leaders, and health care clinics to distribute to potentially eligible families.
5.	Write a Letter to the Editor Write a letter to the editor about outreach and enrollment taking place in your community. Use our easy tutorial to learn how in the Back-to-School Action Kit.
6.	Set Up an Information Table Set up an information table at community events such as festivals, state and county fairs, school functions, sports events, and religious gatherings. Hand out free fliers, bookmarks and lapel stickers. Our easy-to-use tutorial will guide you.
7.	Organize a Health and Enrollment Fair Learn how to plan and carry out a successful health and enrollment fair in the Back-to-School Action Kit.
8.	Plan a Media Event Invite the news media to a news conference and/or enrollment activity. Learn how and access all the necessary templates in the Back-to-School Action Kit.
9.	Form a Coalition Join an existing coalition or organize one with community, faith and/or business leaders. Learn how in the Communications Action Center.
10.	Get More Ideas Many more ideas are available for community-based outreach activities in the Back-to-School Campaign Action Kit.

For in-depth tutorials on how to plan activities and conduct general and specialized Medicaid and SCHIP outreach, visit the Communications Action Center.

Help From the Communications Team

The Covering Kids & Families Communications Team can help support you each step of the way by providing technical assistance, advice on conducting outreach and by helping you plan events. You may contact the Communications Team at (202) 338-7227 or coveringkidsandfamilies@gmmb.com. Also see Communications Campaign Contacts.

Additional Helpful Links

Events and Activities in Your Area: Find out more about 2006 Back-to-School Campaign plans across the country.
Back-to-School Campaign: Learn more about the Covering Kids & Families annual campaign
Communications Action Center: In-depth tutorials on how to plan activities and conduct general and specialized Medicaid and SCHIP outreach
Cover the Uninsured Week

Note: As of July 1, 2007, Covering Kids & Families has closed. For current information about the uninsured in America, please visit RWJF Coverage.
	Robert Wood Johnson Foundation :: Cover the Uninsured Week