The Children’s Health Initiative Coalition is a public-private group of healthcare providers, private employers, business leaders, advocacy groups, foundations, public health officials, labor unions and educators that have come together to create and support the Children’s Health Initiative. Leadership and support is provided by the co-conveners of the Coalition, who are L.A. Care Health Plan, The California Endowment, and the County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services. The California Community Foundation serves as the CHI's fiscal sponsor. L.A. Care performs management and other related functions on behalf of the coalition. Any group that supports the Coalition’s mission may participate, and there is no financial commitment to join.

The Coalition meets monthly, and meetings are open to the public. In addition, the Coalition has several workgroups that meet regularly and then report back to the group as a whole. They are:

Program Integration Workgroup: Charge and Goals

This workgroup makes recommendations on strategies and opportunities to integrate any potential local health insurance programs with existing health insurance programs. The overall goal is to create a seamless system for eligibility determination and enrollment. A component of the work involves efforts to streamline and coordinate outreach, enrollment and retention activities. This group also examines: (1) health care system capacity, (2) safety net providers and (3) efforts that encourage families to seek care for their children. Long term goals are:

• Draft a “report card” to track Coalition work
• Recommend program integration strategies
• Identify elements of a community education campaign
• Recommend policy and/or implementation components of a universal enrollment process
• Recommend a sustainable system for outreach strategies
• Recommend opportunities that will enable employers to provide dependent coverage

Fundraising Workgroup: Charge and Goals

This workgroup identifies the sources of funds needed to expand health care coverage under a local health insurance product. Activities include outlining a fundraising strategy/plan, making presentations to potential funders, determining the level of funding that can be sought, etc.

Policy Change Workgroup: Charge and Goals

This workgroup identifies the necessary elements to broaden political and public support to promote expansion of health care for children. Activities include: (1) creating political and public will – including community organizing; (2) leveraging state/federal funds; (3) monitoring legislative/policy proposals; and (4) examining the costs and financing issues related to expanding health care coverage. The workgroup’s long term goal is to identify policy options that the Coalition can pursue toward providing health insurance coverage to all uninsured children in Los Angeles County.

For more information on the Coalition or Workgroup meetings, please contact Shawnalynn Smith Thomas at L.A. Care Health Plan, (213) 694-1250, ext.4349 or ssmith@lacare.org.