FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2008) – Following through on a promise he made in September, Gov. Steve Beshear today launched an initiative to enroll more children in the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP), including a new Web site, easier enrollment, improved efforts to retain children currently enrolled and significant education and outreach efforts. The plan hopes to enroll more than 35,000 children in KCHIP or Medicaid by the end of 2011.

The new initiative meets a goal set by Gov. Beshear to make enrollment easier by eliminating the need to meet face-to-face with a caseworker to apply for KCHIP. Parents now can complete, print and mail an application available at www.kidshealth.ky.gov; request a mail-in application by calling 1-877-KCHIP-18 (toll-free); or return a postcard mailed to them by the KCHIP program.

“The health of Kentucky’s young people is my top priority and the most significant investment we can make to secure the future of our commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “I want every child who is eligible for KCHIP or Medicaid to be enrolled, and this new Web site and our other greatly expanded outreach efforts make enrollment much simpler and more convenient.”

The Web site also features information on the newly formed Kids’ Health Squad, a cross-section of consumers, advocacy organizations, professional associations, health care and education professionals, and religious, business and legislative leaders who have come together to show that, in Kentucky, children really do come first.

To celebrate the launch of the KCHIP initiative, Gov. Beshear and Kentuckians who care about children’s health care will gather at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008, at the Frankfort Civic Center in downtown Frankfort. The public is invited to attend.

“I call on all Kentuckians who want to help enroll more children in KCHIP to join the Kids’ Health Squad, attend our rally and visit the Web site to see how they can get involved,” Gov. Beshear said.

KCHIP provides health insurance to children whose family income is below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, about $42,400 a year for a family of four. An estimated 67,000 Kentucky children are eligible for KCHIP or Medicaid, but are not enrolled.

For more information or to request an application, call 1-877-KCHIP-18 or visit www.kidshealth.ky.gov.