BANGOR – Teaching young people about health insurance is the latest strategy to reduce the number of uninsured in Maine. It is estimated that nearly 18,000 Maine children are not covered by health insurance.

“Learning About Health Insurance: A Grade 5-12 Curriculum” was developed by Penquis Community Action Program to educate middle and high school students about health insurance and its benefits for individuals and families.

The curriculum, which is aligned with Maine’s Learning Results, offers ways to integrate health topics into health education, mathematics, civics and government, and economics classes.

Classroom activities explore issues related to health practices, health care and health insurance. Suggested projects include analyzing the messages in advertisements for health products, comparing health care practices and services among different countries, identifying the impact of new technology on health care, and conducting a cost-benefit analysis of enrolling in a health insurance program.

Cheri Stacy of Penquis Community Action Program developed the lesson plans for the Covering Kids and Families Campaign. The campaign is funded by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by Maine Primary Care Association and The Maine Department of Human Services.

The lesson plans were printed and disseminated to middle schools and high schools throughout Maine by Maine Works for Youth! at The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion, and UMaine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service. Maine Works for Youth is Maine’s Healthy and Ready to Work initiative, which is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Many Maine schools have expressed an interest in the curriculum and look forward to incorporating the lesson plans next year. Schools outside of Maine have expressed interest in the curriculum, as well.

“Our hope is that this curriculum will educate our younger population about the benefits of health insurance,” said Norma Peters, coordinator of the Penquis CAP Covering Kids and Families Campaign. “Only through education can we hope to effect long term attitudinal change regarding accessing health insurance services and preventive health care.”

For a copy of the curriculum, check the Web at www.ume.maine.edu/cci/service/maineworks/healthinscurr/index.htm or call (800) 203-6957 for a free copy on CD.