Affordable Health Insurance for Children

Bakersfield ranks in the top 10 cities across the country for having affordable health insurance for kids, but some families are not taking advantage of it.
While health insurance may be less expensive for children in Bakersfield, Health Net of California says there are thousands of children across Kern County who do not have it.

Tiffini Thomas found herself and her family without health insurance when her husband switched jobs.

She said, “My husband had health insurance when he worked and then he lost that job. His current job couldn't afford it because it's really expensive.”

Thomas went on the internet and found policies just for her children.

“It is cheaper and more practical to get your kids when they're individuals. Thomas said. “They're the subscribers not the dependents.”

Families like Nely Covarrubias’s do not have coverage for their children. Her daughter is considered one of the estimated 33,000 children in Kern County who are not covered.

Covarrubias says, “He got fired from a job and so I’m out of insurance. So, I have to come to this clinic for my daughter and prenatal care because I’m pregnant, and for her shots and everything.”

Clinica Sierra Vista sees many patients who come for medical care without insurance.

“We have 150,000 people in this county on public insurance and we have about 50,000 people who are uninsured who are kids and 50,000 adults who are uninsured,” said CEO Steve Schilling of Clinica Sierra Vista.

“There are probably 200,000 people in Kern County who have no coverage,” he adds.

Meanwhile, there are 79 health insurance plans available for children in Kern County, according to Emily Fox, spokewoman for eHealthInsurance.

There are even some programs as low as $32 a child, per month.

Experts say the best thing people can do is look at a number of plans, determine what their child’s needs are and purchase the plan that works for them.

Going to websites like ehealthinsurance.com can offer several plans to consider. There are even programs to sign up for at county clinics or centers like Clinica Sierra Vista.