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RIte Care Works 2009 Legislative Priorities

1. Support the All Kids Health Insurance Bill
• Expand RIte Care eligibility to children whose families earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level.
• Allow families above 300% of the federal poverty level to buy RIte Care health insurance.
• Restore RIte Care coverage for lawfully residing immigrant children.
To learn more click: Key Provisions of the Proposed All Kids Health Insurance Act.

2. Support Lowering RIte Care Premiums
Last year the General Assembly increased monthly premiums for many families enrolled in RIte Care. RIte Care Works supports legislation to make RIte Care premiums more affordable for Rhode Island families.
To learn more, click: View Rhode Island KIDS COUNT's analysis on the impact of RIte Care premiums here.

3. Oppose Cutting Dental Benefits to 38,000 Parents
RIte Care Works opposes cutting dental services for 38,000 parents who are enrolled in RIte Care.

Governor Carcieri Releases Proposed State Budget for Year Starting July, 2009
Two articles in Governor Carcieri's proposed state budget for next year relate to the RIte Care health insurance program:
1. A proposal to restore coverage to lawfully residing immigrant children who lost coverage last year.
2. A proposal to eliminate dental services for 38,000 parents who are enrolled in RIte Care.
For more information, click: Supplemental FY09 and FY10 Budget Proposals: Implications for Health Insurance for Children and Families in Rhode Island

Read health care stories written by fellow Rhode Islanders.
Send RIte Care Works your story about how RIte Care Works for: You

Click here to view the Supplemental FY09 Budget Proposal:
Implications for Health Insurance Coverage for Children and Families in Rhode Island
Visit Rhode Island Kids Count for related news and information

Governor's Proposed Supplemental Budget Includes Resource Test
Article 30 of the Governor's 2009 Supplemental Budget proposes a liquid resource test for children and families enrolled in RIte Care.View Article 30 here. Resource tests are shown to result in substantial administrative barriers to enrollment and could make Rhode Island ineligible for both SCHIP funds and a proposed increase in the federal Medicaid match rate. Forty-four states do not require this kind of liquid resource test. For more information, visit Rhode Island Kids Count.

Important Changes to Health Insurance Coverage for Children and Families in Rhode Island
Important changes are being made to programs like RIte Care/RIte Share. Read more.

RIteCare Videos New RIte Care Videos
View our RIte Care YouTube video campaign more

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT "RIte Care Results" issue brief highlights 15 years of success. Click here to view.

7 Cents on the Dollar
A new report by a national nonprofit advocacy group shows each dollar cut from the RIte Care program would yield only 7 cents in net savings more

Filling a Need
Fourteen-month-old Rihanna Lopes gets a checkup at the Blackstone Valley Community Health Center , a RIte Care facility in Pawtucket more

Top Five Reasons To Support RIte Care
With a focus on primary and preventive care, RIte Care improves health care access and health outcomes for children and families who would otherwise be uninsured. more

Welcome!

RIteCareWORKS.org gives clear, accurate and non-partisan information about the benefits of RIte Care, Rhode Island's health insurance program for low-income children and their families.

We believe that RIte Care:

Works For Children In Need

It helps children and their families stay healthy by offering them health insurance. By using private managed care plans to efficiently provide the coverage, the program has had nationally recognized success in improving the health of its target population.

Works For Tax Payers

It’s a good investment. RIte Care is a highly efficient program that is very cheap considering all the good it does. Because it is funded through federal matching funds, approximately 52 cents on every dollar spent on RIte Care/RIte Share is paid for by the Federal Government. The State only pays 48 cents for every dollar allocated to RIte Care. There is no cheaper way to cover low-income children and their families.

Works For Rhode Island

It is a program that is important for everyone. RIte Care keeps children for all families healthy by ensuring that those in need have access to necessary vaccinations and medical treatment. Even if a family can afford insurance, they benefit from RIte Care. Their children go to school and play with children who would not have access to care without the program. By providing these low-income children with health insurance, RIte Care benefits not just them but every other child and person who interacts with them. It’s a win-win situation.

RIteCareWORKS is comprised of an ever-growing coalition of concerned organizations and individuals:

American Cancer Society American Heart Association / American Stroke Association American Lung Association Bayside Family Healthcare Blackstone Valley Community Healthcare Chad Brown Health Center Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island East Bay Community Action Program Family Health Services Family Resources Community Action Family Voices at RIPIN Kids First Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island March of Dimes Northwest Health Center Ocean State Action Parent Support Network of Rhode Island The Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College Providence Community Health Centers Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians Rhode Island Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Rhode Island Foster Parents Association Rhode Island Health Center Association Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Rhode Island Parent Information Network The Rhode Island Medical Society RIPAC Thundermist Health Center Tri-Town Health Center Wood River Health Services Woonsocket Even Start

Get involved today!