The Children’s Health Insurance Program is both a Federal and a State program. It is also called CHIP. It was first created in 1997. This program is designed to provide low-cost health insurance coverage for children, who come from families that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but who do not make enough money to be able to afford to buy health insurance from private companies. This program was expanded in 2009 when President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). More funding was added at that time, in order to be able to help more children who were uninsured.
To find out if your family qualifies for CHIP you should first find out what the specific requirements are for the State that you live in. What seems to be consistent is that if your family does qualify for Medicaid, then you will not qualify for CHIP. If you already have private health insurance, you do not qualify for CHIP. This program will cover children who are age 18 or younger, but not their necessarily parents. A family of four that earns $44,100 per year or less may qualify for CHIP. Once you get on this program your coverage will be reviewed every six to twelve months, and the State will let you know if you are still considered to be eligible for this program, or if you no longer can use it.
What does it cover? In general, it covers the cost of your children’s visits to doctors, and to dentists. It covers their prescription medications as well. It will cover the costs if your child needs to be hospitalized. Anything beyond those things will be determined by what State you live in. Not every State will offer the same amount of benefits.
The main idea with CHIP is that if families are able to afford to take their children to see a doctor when the child is sick, they will do it. This will lead to more children who are able to be treated, recover their health, and stay healthy. Healthy kids are able to learn more in school, which will help them in the future.
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