Every state has a portion of their Medicaid program that covers children. Often, this is called the CHIP program. In Georgia, that part of Medicaid is called Georgia Families. There is a PeachCare that covers kids who do not qualify for coverage through Medicaid.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance coverage. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low income and who cannot afford to buy health insurance coverage from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by the federal government. It is also funded, in part, by the government of an individual state.
In Georgia, the Medicaid program is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Health. There is a portion of the Medicaid program that is called Georgia Families. The tagline for it is: “Healthy Choices for a Healthy Life”. It is a program that delivers health care services to members of Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids.
Georgia Families covers children who are enrolled in PeachCare. It also covers children, pregnant women, and women with breast or cervical cancer who are on Medicaid and who are eligible for the Georgia Families programs. It does not cover children who are in foster care.
The difference between Medicaid and Georgia Families is that those covered by Georgia Families will receive care through a private health plan. They also will get to choose the plan and primary care that is best for them. The Department of Community Health is involved in the program, and it contracts with Amerigroup Community Care, PeachCare for Kids Health plan, and WellCare. Members will not have to pay more for Georgia Families than they are currently paying for either Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids.
PeachCare for Kids is a free, or low cost, health insurance for Georgia’s children. It is only available for kids who are uninsured. If a parent applies for their child to be covered by PeachCare, and the child is eligible for Medicaid, the child’s application will be forwarded to the Medicaid program.
To be eligible for PeachCare, a child must be a United States Citizen, or a qualified legal resident, refugee, or asylee, who resides in Georgia. The child must be age 18 and under, (but can be eligible for coverage through his or her 19th birthday). As I said before, the child must be uninsured in order to qualify for PeachCare.
There is an income limit for the PeachCare program. The child must come from a family that has less than or equal to 235% of the federal poverty level. This equals about $44,868 for a family of 3 and $54,180 for a family of 4.
State employees are now allowed to apply to have their children covered by PeachCare. The same eligibility qualifications are considered. Do not drop your health insurance coverage in an effort to have your child covered by PeachCare. If you voluntarily dropped your child’s health insurance, there will be a six month waiting period before your child can be considered eligible for PeachCare.
Image by Richard North on Flickr