Medicaid often includes a program that is designed to cover children. It is often called CHIP, and some states will give it a friendlier name. Arizona has a KidsCare II program that is temporary, and that will only cover a limited number of eligible children.
CHIP stands for Children’s Health Insurance Program. It is part of the Medicaid program. Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to cover people who are low-income, and who cannot afford to purchase private health insurance coverage. CHIP is the portion of the Medicaid program that covers children.
In Arizona, the CHIP program is called KidsCare II. It is a replacement for the original KidsCare program, which has been frozen since January 1, 2010. People could, (for a while), still apply for KidsCare, but the KidsCare Office “is unable to approve any new applications”. This is due to “lack of funding for the program”.
KidsCare II became available on May 1, 2012. This program is temporary, and will end on December 31, 2013. It is designed to cover “a limited number of eligible children”. The difference between KidsCare and KidsCare II is that the new version has a lower income limit for eligibility. The new income limit for KidsCare II is 175% of the Federal Poverty Level, (and this is also based on family size).
There are many eligibility requirements that must be met in order for a child in Arizona to receive KidsCare II. The child must be an Arizona resident, and also must be a United States citizen or a qualified immigrant. The child must be 18 years old or younger. The child must have a Social Security number.
If your child meets those qualifications, but is already covered by other health insurance, he or she is not eligible for KidsCare II. If your child qualifies for coverage through a state agency employee, then your child cannot receive KidsCare II. If your child is not eligible for coverage through the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, (Medicaid), then your child is not eligible for KidsCare II.
The last eligibility requirement says that a child “is a member of a household that is willing to pay a premium”. The premium for KidsCare II “will cost no more than $40.00 a month for one child and no more than $60.00 a month no matter how many children are in the household”. Following that statement is a sentence that points out that “The application must indicate that the household is willing to pay the premium for coverage”.
In other words, this KidsCare II program is not offered for free (except for those who meet the requirements and can prove tribal enrollment). The emphasis here is on “willing” to pay the premium, as though people who can afford the amount would choose otherwise. Nothing is mentioned about people who are “willing” to pay the premium but cannot afford to do so.
Image by Judit Klein on Flickr