More kids signed up for state insurance program

The number of kids enrolled in a state program that provides no-cost or low-cost insurance has doubled in the past 12 months. “The Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa” or HAWK-I program had just over 85-hundred kids enrolled December 31st. Anita Smith of the Iowa Department of Human Services runs the program and says efforts to publicize the program have paid off.Smith says state officials have also made it easier for parents to complete the HAWK-I paperwork.Smith says about 25 percent of eligible kids are getting insurance through the HAWK-I program. Federal officials estimate 67-thousand uninsured children in Iowa would qualify for the program.