The Medicaid programs in every state have a portion that is designed to cover the health care needs of children. Two programs in Virginia, called FAMIS and FAMIS Plus, will cover children who are under the age of 18 or 19. There is a lot of information about these programs on the Virginia Medicaid website.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to provide individuals and families who are low income with health insurance coverage. Often, this group is not able to afford to purchase a health plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid is partially funded by the federal government. It is also funded, in part, by the government of an individual state.
In Virginia, the Medicaid program is administered by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). However, it is the Department of Social Services (DSS) that is responsible for taking applications and determining eligibility.
Every state has a portion of their Medicaid program that is designed to cover children. In Virginia, there are several that help. LIFC, which stands for Low Income Families with Children. It covers eligible parents who have a child living in the home who is under the age of 18. Coverage for the parents continues through the child’s 18th birthday. The child does not have to be covered by Medicaid for the parents to have coverage. This could enable parents to afford to purchase a private health plan for their child.
FAMIS stands for Family Access to Medical Insurance Security plan. It covers children who are under the age of 19 who are uninsured. The child must come from a family with countable family income that is greater that 133% of the federal poverty level, but no more than 200% of the federal poverty level. The exact amount is based on the size of the family.
FAMIS Plus stands for Family Access to Medical Insurance Security plan Plus. It also covers children who are under the age of 19. FAMIS Plus will cover children who come from families with countable income of no more than 133% of the federal poverty level, based upon the size of the family.
The difference is that the child can be uninsured, or covered by another form of health insurance, and still potentially qualify for coverage from FAMIS Plus. If the child has health insurance coverage, FAMIS Plus becomes the secondary insurance. In other words, medical bills will first be sent to the child’s other health insurer. FAMIS Plus will cover what that insurer does not.
Image by Brandon Fick on Flickr