OneWorld Community Health Center is looking for 6,000 kids.

The agency that generally provides health care to the underserved has received $706,264 from the federal government to create a program to enroll thousands of children in either of two government insurance programs for low-income children.

Many metro-area children are eligible but aren’t enrolled because their families don’t know the programs exist or don’t know their kids could qualify, said Andrea Skolkin, chief executive officer of OneWorld. That means some of those children are going without health care or are getting far less than they could.

OneWorld’s goal is to enroll at least 6,000 children. The agency’s outreach effort has just begun.OneWorld will place staff members in day care centers, schools, after-school programs, churches, food pantries, organizations and other places.

“We want to be where people are versus making people come to us,” Skolkin said.

They will contact families at those sites and determine whether they have children who qualify but aren’t enrolled in Medicaid or the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The staff members will have laptops to take down information and scanners to scan in citizenship documents and proof of Nebraska residency. Children must be citizens to receive the health care benefits.

The agency also will take referrals. For information, call 502-8888.

OneWorld, based in the Livestock Exchange Building, 4920 S. 30th St., has hired a director and will employ five full-time staffers for the program. OneWorld also has a clinic in Plattsmouth.

President Barack Obama this year allocated $40 million to agencies in 42 states and Washington, D.C., for programs to conduct enrollment efforts over the next two years.

Through a competitive process, OneWorld was one of 69 entities to receive money. Iowa doesn’t have a program among the 69. An additional $40 million will be distributed in 2012.

Enrollment among children in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program has gradually risen in Iowa and Nebraska. The economy has worsened and awareness of the programs has broadened, spokesmen in Iowa and Nebraska say.

A child qualifies for Medicaid if his family’s annual income is at or somewhat above the federal poverty level, which is $18,310 for a family of three.

Qualifying for CHIP isn’t as stringent. In Iowa, the state raised the CHIP ceiling this year to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $54,930 for a family of three. Nebraska raised its income ceiling for CHIP from 185 percent this year to 200 percent, or $36,620 for a family of three.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has estimated there may be close to 15,000 eligible children who aren’t enrolled. The Iowa Department of Public Health estimated there could be as many as 38,000 children who aren’t covered.

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Since conservatives are scorching the paint off the walls denouncing the House and Senate health care bills, do they have an alternative? The libertarian Cato Institute advocates health savings accounts as a free market alternative. Newt Gingrich also advocates health savings accounts.

Health savings accounts (HSAs) became legal in 2004, although they are limited to owners of insurance policies with high deductibles. Millions of Americans now have them, although in most cases they came with an insurance policy chosen by their employer.

United Health Care is one of the largest providers of health insurance in Florida and UHC offers health savings accounts. United Health Care “has chosen,” as their Web site says, to locate all HSAs in a bank in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you live in Highlands County and have a HSA through United Healthcare, your money is in a bank 2,000 miles from your home.

You might think that in the 21st century it is normal to deal with distant businesses over the Internet or by other means.

I had one of these HSA’s located in Salt Lake City myself. I found it virtually impossible to communicate with this distant bank. Phone calls led to recordings. Their Web site is sometimes down, not that it is much easier to deal with when it is supposedly running. It sometimes took hours of effort just to find out what my balance was. I deal with Web sites every day and have never seen one so difficult to use.

Since conservatives value local government and local business, I have a suggestion for their policy on HSAs. Why can’t the Florida Legislature pass a law requiring health insurance companies that offer HSAs to put them in Florida banks? For that matter, why not require HSAs to be located in the same county as the customer, unless the customer chooses otherwise?

We certainly have banks in every county in Florida and such a measure would only put more money in Florida banks.

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As you review the different health care options available in Georgia, you’ll note that there are options from several major national providers. In reviewing pros and cons, you’ll want to make sure your choice is financially sound, ranks well, and provides access to the health care professionals or organizations that you prefer. Another method for choosing well is to review ratings from third parties. US News and World Report recently ran rankings of some of the health insurance providers who operate in Georgia; they evaluated responses from consumers, physicians, and their own reviewers to come up with ratings and scores

United Health Plan performed fairly well, just two-tenths of a point behind their competition, Aetna, on the ratings report, with an overall score on a 100 point scale of 82.3. Like the national competition in Gerogia, United Health has NCQA accreditation; this means that they’ve gone through a rigorous screening process to meet 60 separate standards checks and must annually renew and prove that they are meeting increasing tough standards of quality in order to retain this prestigious distinction. Think of the NCQA as the “Good Housekeeping” seal of approval, for insurance plans. For more information on NCQA, an independent not-for-profit group, visit their site—ncqa.org.

United Health Care performed particularly well with regard to treatment options—specifically, for asthma medication and treatment. They have strong support for other treatment needs as well (mental and behavioral health, alcohol and/or drug awareness, and testing for children and adolescents). The balance of their scores were average or above average, in most categories.

One of United Health Care’s biggest initiatives on a national level—especially relevant for Georgians who live in rural areas or who may not have access to every specialty, within their local area, is a new partnership with Cisco to present “Connected Care”. Connected Care takes advantage of technology to offer access to health care providers and resources online, in a one-on-one format, with secure conversations possible between patient and doctor (minus the office visit). There is an accompanying mobile access clinic (again, to increase access in rural communities) and the initiative, just launched, is gaining momentum. Imagine—being at work, and being able to spend  5 minutes one-on-one chatting with your doctor about a problem or question—without taking 90 minutes from your day to drive to the doctor, wait, meet with him/her, drive back…online access means quick answers, less worry, and better communication. And access to specialists in faraway places is that much easier.

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