FRANKFORT — Thousands of Kentucky children have no health insurance, but many are eligible for a low-cost state and federal program and are not enrolled.

According to Kentucky Voices for Health, a coalition of health advocacy groups such as Kentucky Youth Advocates, AARP, and the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, 93,000 Kentucky children under the age of 19 have no health insurance but an estimated 62,500 of them are eligible for the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid.

“Simple changes which have already been adopted in other states could bring enrollment to 80 percent,” said Ed Monahan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky Monday during a teleconference.

Those changes would allow agencies such as schools and health departments to enroll eligible children temporarily, allow mail-in or online applications and enrollment, allow 12-month eligibility for initially qualifying children even if their families’ incomes increased, and an increase in eligibility from 200 percent of the poverty level to 250 percent of the federal poverty level.

“These simplifications could provide health care for 74,000 additional children,” Monahan said

The cost to taxpayers would be $440 per child annually, but Monahan said that’s a lot less than even one visit to a hospital emergency room.

According to the report, 60 percent of uninsured families never pay for emergency room visits and those costs are shifted to taxpayers and the insured. It says the annual cost of absorbing those costs is about $89 million while the cost of the recommendations in the report would be about $40 million a year.

The report provides estimates of the number of uninsured children in each of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Jefferson County leads the way with 8,790 followed by Fayette County with 3,784. Also in the top 10 is Madison County (number 9) with 1,140, followed by Pike with 1,035. Other counties listed include Barren (617), Boyd (641), Carter (520), Greenup (245), Laurel (1,030), McCreary (495), Pulaski (939), Rockcastle (289), Rowan (279), Russell (302), Wayne (423), and Whitley (816).

The report recommends increasing the eligibility threshold from 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline or $42,000 to 250 percent of the guideline or $53,000 and says 26 states already allows enrollment at more than 200 percent of the poverty level. That alone would add 7,000 children to the KCHIP program. It indicates nearly all the surrounding states – Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Tennessee – all are at 250 percent of the guideline.

Patrick Jeffreys, project director for Kentucky Voices for Health, said the report is an effort to “urge the governor and the leaders of our state to take some action.” He said better health and better education are keys to economic development in Kentucky.

Monahan said the group “is very supportive of increasing the cigarette tax by 75 cents which would produce $240 million – over six times the cost of these recommendations.”

Beshear has said recently during town hall meetings across the state he will again seek an increase of 75 cents in the cigarette tax during the next session of the legislature.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.