Participation will be limited to three years, some fees added

The Caring Foundation of Montana on Friday announced changes beginning April 1 to the Caring Program for Children.

The health insurance program is available to eligible children from families who earn between 150 and 200 percent of federal poverty level -- a maximum of $40,000 for a family of four -- who do not qualify for government assistance and do not have health insurance available to them through their employment.

The foundation's board of directors initiated a three-year limit for Caring Program participation to allow new applicants to participate, according to a press release.

"The Caring Program for Children was designed to be a transitional program to provide children with access to primary and preventive medical care for a brief period," said Trinda Smith, Caring Foundation program coordinator. "We have 380 children on our waiting list who need help, and we want to give them a chance to have access to health care services," Smith said.

Smith said that many families across Montana meet Caring Program participation requirements, but they need to apply.

Smith said that those who have participated in the Caring Program for three years as of April 1 -- over 300 of the more than 400 in the program -- will be removed as of Oct. 1.

She said the participants who will be affected were sent a letter earlier this week.

Smith said the decision to make the change was "agonizing."

"We know these are real people," she said, adding that the decision was driven by costs.

Another change to the Caring Program requires participating families to pay a $5 fee for each office visit and a $20 fee for emergency room visits.

Smith said the fees are also directly related to rising health-care costs and the resulting cost of sponsoring children in the Caring Program.

"When the program began in early 1993," Smith said, "it cost $276 to have a child participate for a year. Now, that cost has risen to $480 per child per year. We are hoping these changes will help bring those costs down so that more children will be able to participate."

More than 2,000 doctors, hospitals, and ancillary providers partner with the Caring Program for Children to accept reduced reimbursement for health care services provided to program participants.

Smith said that without these provider payment arrangements, the Caring Program would be extremely limited.

"We are very grateful to these physicians, hospitals, and other health care professionals," Smith said. "We couldn't maintain the program without them.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is the primary supporter of the Caring Foundation, which is a non-profit organization.

BCBSMT pays all of the foundation's operational expenses, Smith said, which means all the income from fundraisers and contributions goes directly toward paying for children to participate in the Caring Program for Children.

The fundraisers include the Governor's Cup run, two golf tournaments and other corporate and individual contributions.

The program has served more than 6,000 children since January 1993.