One-Stop Shopping for Affordable Healthcare

Ventura County families searching for affordable healthcare insurance have a new and convenient “under one roof” option, which was unveiled Wednesday in Santa Paula.

At the newly opened Santa Clara Valley Center, parents can fill out paperwork for their children just once to be eligible for either public or private low-cost insurance.

The goal is to increase enrollment in existing public programs, such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, for the estimated 32,000 uninsured children in Ventura County, said Supervisor Steve Bennett.

“This puts everything in one place and it’s much more efficient,” Bennett said.

“Consequently, children get more preventative care, and that is better for the child and cheaper for taxpayers.”

Officials believe that as many as 27,000 county children qualify for one of the two programs but have not been enrolled.

Unwieldy application procedures have been an obstacle in the past, county health officials said.

County managers hope the process will be less intimidating if everything can be done in one place.

Low-cost private plans are also available for parents who make too much money for their children to qualify for state programs. Coverage is available to children 18 and younger.

Clients can visit the Santa Clara Valley Center, 725 E. Main St., Santa Paula, or obtain applications by calling either the toll-free number, (866) 481-7674, or the 211 County Help Line.

Applications for Medi-Cal for children and Healthy Families can also be downloaded online at www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov.