Vme Joins HHS in connecting Kids to Coverage Campaign.

Vme’s New PSA campaign gives parents information and resources to apply for free and low-cost public health insurance  for their children . The demographic shift that makes Latinos the fastest growing population is led by Latino children – particularly those 5 and under. These children are also the least insured population in the U.S. The health disparities are already real and only increasing. Latino children have the highest obesity rates among all children 2-19 years old[ii] <#_edn2> and disproportionately suffer chronic diseases like diabetes.

With the goal of enrolling five million uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) over five years, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, has launched the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge. 

To help reach Latino children, who are the nation’s least insured population, HHS is partnering with national Spanish network, Vme. As the first media partner in this campaign, Vme produced a television PSA featuring Minerva Borjas, the host of Vme’s parenting program Tubebé.  The PSA promotes the importance of health coverage and provides information on how to apply for health insurance programs in their state and enroll their children.

“We want to encourage families with uninsured children from birth to 18 years of age to apply for health insurance through Medicaid or CHIP.  These programs provide eligible children the health services that all children need — routine preventive care and needed medical attention when they are sick,” said Cindy Mann, Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “As the first media organization to step up to the Connecting Kids to Coverage Challenge, we welcome Vme’s partnership and commitment to this effort — on the air and in Latino communities across the nation.”

“Connecting Kids to Coverage.  is a perfect fit for Vme. We care deeply about the healthy development of Latino children and have stepped up to the Challenge as part of our commitment to help these kids succeed in school and soar in life,” said Carmen DiRienzo, president & CEO, Vme.