Option #4 if your employer doesn’t offer health insurance

Get SCHIP for your children

Low-income Americans – especially children – who don’t have access to affordable health insurance coverage, may be able to get help from Medicaid or other state insurance programs, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit foundation focusing on healthcare issues in the United States.

If you’ve lost your income, or your income is low, your children may qualify for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Low income is defined differently by each state, but usually 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level), All states and the District of Columbia offer CHIP health coverage.

In April 2009, President Obama extended the benefits of CHIP to protect four million more uninsured children. Each state administers its own CHIP program, so it’s sometimes called SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). Each state sets the rules for eligibility, benefits, and payments.

To find out if your child is eligible for SCHIP, call 1-877-543-7669 or go to www.insurekidsnow.gov to find your state’s SCHIP. Generally, you can file the application online, through the mail, or over the phone.

CHIP provided health coverage to more than 7 million children in 2008. The government estimates that by 2013 states will provide coverage to an additional 4 million children who would otherwise be uninsured.

SCHIP is primarily for working families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private family insurance coverage.

With SCHIP, preventive care is free, but you may have to share in the costs for other services. Although benefits vary from state to state, children are generally eligible for the following services:

  • Routine checkups
  • Immunizations
  • Eyeglasses
  • Dental care
  • Outpatient hospital care
  • Lab and X-ray services
  • Prescription drug coverage
  • In-patient hospital care

Option #3. Get help with medication costs

Option #5. Ask if you qualify for a state high-risk pool

Watch the Healthcare Video: What Do You Do If Your Employer Doesn’t Offer Health Insurance?