Like many states a couple of years ago, Maine decided that even if many people went without health care coverage and often without care, the state could at least make sure kids were covered and urged the federal government to expand Medicaid to include them. It did, and Maine’s Department of Human Services has done well since then, with 13,000 children currently signed up under the expansion, but it still has another 10,800 who qualify for coverage.

The leading reason for this, according to surveys, is that parents do not know that their children qualify or that signing up is a painless procedure. Press conferences around Maine are scheduled for today to tell parents what they need to do, but the simplest step is to call 1-800-965-7476 and ask for information about MaineCare coverage for your child.

The coverage is based on income, but for children in a family of three the cut-off income is $30,000 annually and $36,000 for a family of four. Parents can qualify for coverage, too, although at lower income cut-offs. Most families pay no premium for this coverage, although some are responsible for premiums of between $5 and $40 a month and may have a small deductible as well.

The reason for the program is obvious: Health care costs have risen so far and fast during the last dozen years that millions of Americans cannot afford care without insurance but cannot afford the insurance either. The MaineCare program for children has expanded since its beginning and includes coverage for preventative care, emergency room visits, immunizations, hospital care, vision and hearing, mental health and dental care – all the basics to give children a healthy beginning plus transportation for medical appointments.

The cost of covering children is relatively inexpensive and cost-effective over time. Not only does coverage give families a better way to obtain medical care for their children than through hospital emergency rooms, but, for instance, timely immunizations save about $14 for every $1 spent on shots. In addition, there is often-overlooked savings from avoiding lost school days for children or work time for parents who spend time at home with sick kids. That cost is considerable, according to a Florida study showing that students without insurance were 25 percent more likely to miss school than insured students. They are also 20 percent more likely to have untreated vision problems and much less likely to get treatment at all, especially for aliments such as ear infections and asthma.

The project to alert parents to this opportunity for their children, part of the Covering Kids and Families Campaign by a handful of Maine health groups, is aimed at catching kids as they start the new school year in a few weeks. Parents need not wait that long. They can call the above number and quickly get their children important health coverage.