Governor Phil Bredesen proclaimed the week of Sept. 1 as CoverKids' Week in Tennessee to further the program's back-to-school efforts in getting comprehensive health insurance to as many of Tennessee's uninsured children as possible.

"The fact is no child in Tennessee should be without health insurance, and with CoverKids none of them have to be," Bredesen said. "Providing children with quality health coverage is one of the best investments we can make in their future, so I encourage Tennessee parents to take advantage of CoverKids and enroll their children in the program."

During CoverKids' Week in Tennessee, program representatives will partner with health care providers across the state to host a series of enrollment events. Scheduled enrollment events will be with: - Mountain States Health Alliance in Kingsport, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., EDT, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at Food City, 1205 N. Eastman Road; - East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., EDT, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at Wal-Mart, 5300 Millertown Pike; and - Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., CDT, on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave.

Also as part of CoverKids' Week, the program will host a live call-in event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., CDT, on Saturday, Sept. 6. During CoverKids' Call-In for Coverage, parents can call 1-866-576-0028 to speak one-on-one with program representatives who can answer questions about the program and help uninsured children enroll. Parents should have basic information available when they call, such as the Social Security Number for each child they want to enroll in CoverKids and the family's yearly income information.

The CoverKids' Week proclamation and Call-In for Coverage continue CoverKids' back-to-school campaign that began when the program sent 1.5 million informational flyers home with Tennessee's public school children in July. The flyers provide detailed instructions for parents on how to enroll their children and include a self-addressed, postage-paid card so parents can request applications, or have a CoverKids representative call them about enrolling.

A family of four earning $53,000 a year or less may qualify for CoverKids. Once enrolled, these families pay no monthly premiums for coverage. Doctor visits range from $5 to $15, generic medications cost as little as $5 and there are no co-pays for immunizations, routine well-exams, labs or x-rays. Families above the household income limit can pay $225 a month for each child they want to enroll in CoverKids. CoverKids insurance does not have deductibles.

CoverKids currently has 26,408 members in the program. CoverKids is part of Cover Tennessee, Bredesen's multi-pronged effort to extend health insurance to Tennessee's uninsured.

Cover Tennessee's other programs are: CoverTN, affordable, basic health insurance to small businesses, individuals and the self-employed; AccessTN, comprehensive health insurance for Tennesseans with uninsurable or chronic health care conditions; and CoverRx, a pharmacy assistance program providing uninsured Tennesseans access to affordable prescriptions.

For more information on any of the Cover Tennessee programs, visit www.CoverTN.gov or call 1-866-COVERTN.