It’s no secret that healthier children do better academically, but as Maine schools this week hand out forms to sign up kids for MaineCare health insurance coverage, their parents may not know how large a difference having access makes in their children’s school lives. The forms they’ll see are short, simple applications for free or reduced coverage for those who qualify. Your child would likely be very happy if you’d fill it out.

California tracked its students who received similar coverage and among its findings were that children in poorest health subsequently missed less school and their school-performance scores “increased 24 percent, with remarkable improvements in scores related to ‘paying attention in class’ and ‘keeping up with school activities,'” according to a 2002 study. There’s been no similar study of Maine students, but anecdotally their performance points in the same direction.

Covering Kids and Families Coalition, which includes the Maine Primary Care Association, Maine Equal Justice and Consumers for Affordable Health Care, annually supplies schools with the sign-up sheet and answers parents’ questions about the form or the program (1-800-965-7476). But despite the good news about improved health and school performance with health coverage, nearly 11,000 students who lack coverage and would qualify for MaineCare have yet to sign up, a number that has not changed much over the years.

One reason for this may be that their parents do not know they are eligible. Any family with incomes under 200 percent of the federal poverty line can get the discounted or free care. For a family of four, that works out to $37,700 annually, but advocates say that some income is not counted so any parent with an income close to this level should also apply. Parents themselves can qualify for coverage, too, although at lower income cut-offs.

The need for the program is apparent in insurance premiums – they 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, some 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 low and is clearly cost-effective. 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.

It is a good deal for everyone – all that’s left is for eligible families to sign up.