Sacramento First 5 panel OKs health premiums for kids

As many as 2,200 Sacramento-area children will not have to be placed on a waiting list to take part in the state's Healthy Families program. First 5 Sacramento commissioners voted to spend $571,534 to pay premiums for new applicants to the healthcare program, which is beset by funding woes because of the state budget crisis. The Healthy Families program is a health insurance plan for low-income families who don't qualify for Medi-Cal or whose employers do not provide health insurance.