School Nurse and Counselor Manual (2022)

More than 37,000 children and teens in the Greater Philadelphia area are uninsured. Yet the majority of them are eligible for free or low-cost health insurance. The good news is that almost almost every child and teen qualifies for free or low-cost health insurance.

School nurses and counselors are often the primary and most consistent source of health information and assistance for families without health insurance. When parents and caregivers are questioned, they rank schools and school staff as highly trusted sources of information about health and health insurance. Trying to navigate the health care system for their children can be difficult.

The purpose of this manual is to assist school nurses and counselors in connecting students to health insurance and health care services.

The first four sections of this manual provide details on the programs that cover children and their families, how to apply for coverage and where to get help with applications, what health benefits are covered, and how to access them. The second two sections of the manual list resources for schools, resources for care – free and low-cost health care services in Bucks, Chester, Delaware Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties for children who are uninsured or underinsured, guide to applying for coverage, and resources for consumers.