Every state has a Medicaid program. Parts of that program are intended to cover children who come from low-income families. In North Carolina, there is a Medicaid for Infants and Children program, and a Medicaid for Families with Dependent Children program. There are also some options for families that don’t qualify for those programs due to financial limitations.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, health insurance program. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low-income and who cannot afford to purchase a health insurance plan through 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 North Carolina, there are many options within the Medicaid program that will provide health insurance coverage for children who come from low-income families. One of those programs is called Medicaid for Infants and Children (MIC).
The MIC program provides medical coverage for kids who are under the age of 19. There are no resource limitation requirements for this program. There is an income limitation, which is based upon the family size and the age of the child, (or children), who are applying for MIC. A helpful chart on the North Carolina website for Medicaid gives more details about the income limits.
Families whose income is greater than the amounts listed on that chart cannot qualify to have their children covered by MIC. Instead, they might qualify for the North Carolina Health Choice program (NCHC).
It covers hospitalization and outpatient care, physician and clinic services, lab and radiology services, surgical services, prescription drugs, dental, vision, hearing, durable medical equipment (such as wheelchairs), and physical therapy. The physical therapy includes occupational therapy and therapy for kids who have hearing and language disorders. It covers hospice care, a limited amount of home health care, inpatient mental health services, outpatient mental health services, and inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment.
North Carolina also has a Medicaid for Families with Dependent Children program. It provides coverage for parents (or other caretaker relatives) with children age 18 and under who are in their household, and for children under the age of 21. There is a monthly countable income limit that the family must be under. The family cannot have more than $3,000 in assets (such as savings in a bank account).
Those who make too much to qualify for that program might be eligible for the Medicaid deductible program. Those who are eligible for this program must pay down a deductible for their medical bills. After that, Medicaid can help pay for the remaining unpaid medical bills.
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