Anthem Blue Cross 2007 Annual Report Download - page 11

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WellPoint, Inc. 2007 Summary Annual Report
Advocating coverage
for every child
In January 2007, WellPoint proposed our Action Plan for the
Uninsured, a blend of public and private initiatives. Its goal is
to ensure health care coverage for all children, and to provide
new and more attractive options for the working uninsured.
To improve health care access for children, WellPoint
supports the expansion of state health care programs to
cover children in families that earn up to 300 percent of
the federal poverty level. This means that a family of four
could earn up to $60,000 per year and still qualify for
public coverage.
The plan also includes a call for improved outreach.
Roughly 70 percent of uninsured children are already
eligible for public programs, but have not been enrolled.
The WellPoint Foundation has pledged $30 million over
three years to support community and state initiatives
to expand access to care.
Connecting parents of
premature newborns with
the support they need
DR. ALLISON BURKETT : : Mother of premature twins
Atlanta, Georgia
WellPoint is committed to improving the health of our
communities. Our State Health Index targets speci c public
health improvements in the states we serve. To that end, the
WellPoint Foundation, Inc. recently launched a multigenerational
initiative called Healthy Generations. One objective is to reduce
the incidence of premature births.
For example, through its af liate Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Georgia Foundation, LLC, WellPoint supports the March of
Dimes Prematurity Campaign. One component of the campaign
is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support®
Program, which comforts and educates the families of
premature and other critically ill newborns being cared for
in the NICU.
When Dr. Allison Burkett, a surgeon in Atlanta, prematurely
gave birth to twins on October 4, 2006, each infant weighed
less than three pounds. Dr. Burkett is now a parent member
of the Chapter NICU Advisory Council (CNAC), which is helping
to develop the NICU Family Support Program at Atlanta Medical
Center. “The biggest battle you face as the parent of a preemie
is going home without your baby,” Dr. Burkett said. “To have
an individual who can serve as an advocate, a liaison, and an
educator to offer some consistency and help you parent from
afar, is extremely valuable.”
“We are thrilled to have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia
Foundation join us in the  ght against premature birth,” said
Mark Gibson, state director for the March of Dimes Georgia
Chapter. “In Georgia, premature birth is the number-one
killer of newborns. By helping to fund important research
and education, the March of Dimes and Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation can help give every
baby a  ghting chance.”
*SCHIP enrollment based on total enrollment in December of each year.
**Estimated 2005 enrollment
SOURCE: CPS data; SCHIP Enrollment in 50 States, December 2004 Data Update, KCMU
(Sept. 2005); V Smith, DM Rousseau, M O’Malley, SCHIP Program Enrollment: December
2003 Update, KCMU (July 2004).
THE STATE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (SCHIP)
ENROLLMENT* AND PERCENTAGE OF UNINSURED CHILDREN
(1998-2005) : : Enrollment (in millions)
LEFT :: (From left to right) Rachelle Castillo, Adrien Bong, Karen
Kitchen, and Pat Browne, R.N., seated in Anthem Blue Cross of
California’s Community Resource Center in Fresno, California.
MIDDLE :: Dr. William Ebbeling, a renowned immunology specialist
who treated Adrien, in Fresno, California.
RIGHT :: Dr. Allison Burkett, with daughter Lee and son AJ, at the
Atlanta Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
5
4
3
2
1
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005**
0.9 1.8 2.7 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.9
15%
13%
12% 12% 12%
11% 11% 11%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0
SCHIP enrollment % of children without insurance