Elorza & Reed Kick Off Campaign to Help Enroll Eligible Children in RIte Care

PROVIDENCE, RI – Last week, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as for community health centers.  This is great news for thousands of children in low and moderate-income households in Rhode Island who will have health coverage through RIte Care as a result.

On Monday, April 20 at 11 a.m., Mayor Jorge O. Elorza and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) will be joined by Merrill Thomas, CEO of the Providence Community Health Centers, and Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, to discuss the importance of enrolling eligible children and families in RIte Care.

About 70 percent of children in Providence are already covered by the state’s health insurance program for low-to-moderate income families, but as many as 2,000 children in Providence, and thousands more throughout the state, remain without health insurance coverage.

Many busy parents may not realize that they are eligible for free or low-cost health insurance for their kids and teens – all the way up to age 19.

At Monday’s press conference, which will be at Providence Community Health Centers, 355 Prairie Ave., Providence, the community leaders will explain how families of four making up to $59,000 may be eligible to get their kids regular check-ups, doctor and dentist visits, vaccinations, prescriptions, and more through RIte Care and how to sign up.