Health Insurance For Children

Health Insurance For Children

The government does have many programs in place to assure insurance coverage for kids up to the age of 18. These plans have been established over the last ten years to provide low to middle class families affordable insurance for their children. They're not widely known about though, people may not know what is out there for them.

Medicare is one of the options, and a lot of people are familiar with this one. But this coverage is mainly for handicapped children or those with birth defects. Your child would be eligible if they have any of these diagnosis.

A second option that your children may be eligible for is for Medicaid coverage. This type of coverage is usually available to children of low income families as well as for pregnant women. There is an income requirement and your family usually must fall below the poverty guidelines set forth by the federal government in order to receive this type of assistance, which for a family of 4 is an income of below 22,000 per year.

There are some inclusions in this program to include children who are very ill and also emancipated minors to be eligible for coverage.

There's a new option out there now, the name varies depending on the state but the federal government calls it the SCHIP program. The qualifications are that you're working, but health insurance is not offered under your benefits. There is a salary cap but it's much higher than for Medicaid. To find out about this option you can call your doctor, local social services or Medicaid office. They can offer child insurance for free in a lot of cases but sometimes there may be a small premium.

These government programs are extremely helpful for families with children, however keep in mind that these programs do not cover the adults in the family and unfortunately this leaves the parents of these children without the insurance they need. Hopefully a more affordable insurance option is on the horizon for all, but in the meantime it is good to know that there are at least affordable insurance options for this nation's youth.