Do you require health insurance specifically for your child? Here is some good news for those of you who currently have health insurance coverage. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, you can now have your children covered under your medical plan until they are 26. Should you be interested in learning more about this, we encourage you to please read our free step-by-step guide to Marketplace health insurance enrollment. You can access this by clicking the link below.
You may not have insurance for yourself, but this should not get in the way if you want your kid to have insurance of his own. There are a handful of solutions to help make it real.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Topping our list of available alternative solutions for this is the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP. It is a federal program that makes it possible for each state to manage a health insurance plan on its own and cater it to the benefit of low-income, uninsured children up to the age of 19. Naturally, these programs would be under the management of the federal government.
Children in households with earnings that are too high to qualify for Medicaid can get complete healthcare through CHIP. Each state comes with its own set of rules when it comes to eligibility for CHIP. In most cases, however, it includes children whose families earn up to at least 200 per cent of the Federal Poverty Level or more (FPL). For a family of four, doing the math will translate the savings to a whopping amount of $49,200.
All preventative care services for “well children” are covered at no cost under CHIP health care. CHIP can also cover other expenditures like basic examinations, dental, medications, vaccinations, vision, hospital, and emergency care.
CHIP can also cover other expenditures like basic examinations, dental, medications, vaccinations, vision, hospital, and emergency care. Bear in mind that CHIP does not renew on its own each year. Hence, you must ensure you complete the process for the annual renewal so you can confidently maintain your child’s enrollment.
Medicaid
Your family may be eligible for Medicaid, which offers no-cost or low-cost health care to those who need it most. Medicaid is a federal-state partnership that offers insurance to low-income families. The primary criterion for eligibility is one’s income level. However, there are additional eligibility requirements for adults, the elderly, and children with impairments. Pregnant ladies are also eligible. In the United States, one in every four children is covered by Medicaid.
The Health Scout team can provide you with all the information you may need on Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and how you can process your application. The Health Scout team can provide you with all the information you may need on Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and how you can process your application.
You may reach out to a Health Scout representative regarding this at 816-608-7888 if you require further assistance.
Marketplace Options
In the Marketplace, you will have the opportunity to compare and shop for children-only plans during Open Enrollment. These plans may also qualify you for substantial savings, depending on your income level. By law, all Marketplace plans must provide the same level of coverage. These policies cover both preventative care (such as vaccination) and pre-existing conditions. For families with low incomes, they may be free or extremely inexpensive due to government subsidies.
Remember that if your kid is covered by an employer-sponsored plan that is not available via the Marketplace, that will take away your entitlement for any subsidies for these Obamacare plans that are exclusively available to your children.
Alternatives Available
Additionally, there are private plans not available on the Marketplace that cover only children. However, they do not offer the same level of coverage as those plans offered through the Marketplace.
When open enrollment is underway, you can shop the Health Insurance Marketplace for coverage options and savings opportunities. This applies to you as well as any dependents you may have. In addition to Open Enrollment, you can apply for Medicaid and/or CHIP at any time. Starting an application through Health Scout or the Marketplace is easy.