An Intent to Award letter has been issued to two not-for-profit health insurance companies and a not-for-profit mental health organization who won bids to provide health insurance for currently uninsured Kansas children in the HealthWave program.

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services also announced today a toll-free number allowing parents to get information about HealthWave is now in operation. The multilingual telephone number, 1-800-792-4884, will give parents a chance to find out more about the program and request written information and an application form. The HealthWave program will have a simplified application form, limited to two pages.

HealthWave will provide health insurance for children and adolescents up to age 19 who do not have health insurance. Program eligibility is based on family size and family income; a family of two, for instance, with an income of $21,700 would qualify for the program or a family of three earning $27,300 a year would qualify for HealthWave.

Families may begin making application for HealthWave in November. HealthWave coverage will begin January 1, 1999.

The two Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) -- Family Health Partners, of Kansas City, Mo., and Horizon Health Plan, Inc., Topeka -- will receive Intent to Award letters today to provide physical health insurance to uninsured Kansas children. The companies will subcontract with dental insurance companies to provide dental coverage.

In addition, The Mental Health Consortium, Inc., Topeka, was issued an Intent to Award letter to provide behavioral health services statewide under HealthWave. This includes both mental health services and substance abuse services. The Mental Health Consortium is a management service organization of 30 Mental Health Centers across Kansas.

The goal of HealthWave is to make affordable health insurance available to uninsured children and adolescents in Kansas. Depending on their income, families who qualify for HealthWave will pay low ($10-$15 a month) or no premiums for the health insurance.

SRS Secretary Rochelle Chronister said the companies chosen to provide health insurance for children in HealthWave have shown a dedication to providing preventive health care services to children, something that will pay dividends for our state in the future. She also praised the fact that Kansas has a health insurance program for children going up statewide that covers medical, dental and behavioral health.

"Interest and enthusiasm from local communities and local community agencies about the importance of HealthWave has been building," she said. "The companies we have chosen to provide the insurance coverage are equipped to help Kansas children get the regular, preventive health care that is the goal of managed care."

Family Health Partners will provide physical health insurance coverage in Region 1, which includes all of eastern Kansas, including the SRS management areas of Chanute, Lawrence, Kansas City and Olathe. Family Health Partners currently provides health insurance for the Medicaid program in western Missouri. They are sponsored by Children’s Mercy Hospital and Truman Medical Center, both in Kansas City, Mo.

Horizon Health Plan will provide physical health insurance coverage in Regions 2 and 3, which covers all of central and western Kansas and includes the SRS management areas of Topeka, Wichita, Salina, Manhattan, Hays, Garden City, Hutchinson, and Emporia. Horizons Health Plan currently provides health insurance coverage through the Medicaid program in many parts of Kansas.

Both these HMOs will be working to build up their networks of health care providers across the state.

HealthWave is made possible by a combination of state and federal funds. Under federal legislation, Kansas will receive about $31 million a year for five years to provide health insurance coverage for children, a funding level that will vary slightly based on a federal formula. The federal funds were matched by $12 million in state funds appropriated by the 1998 Kansas Legislature.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001