Legal Corner: Children’s
THE KIDS ARE CVC Health Care Attorney Stephanie Posuniak explains an affordable children’s health insurance option for families who don’t qualify for Medicaid.
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ulie is a 30-year-old single mother of Mason, age six. She earns $30,000 annually and lives in the state of Michigan. Her employer does not offer health insurance and, like most parents, she is more concerned with finding affordable coverage for Mason than for herself. Where can she turn for assistance? Although most Americans are aware of public health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, not as many know about another insurance option for children, known as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This article will explore what CHIP is, what it offers, who may be eligible, and ways the Affordable Care Act benefits children through programs such as CHIP.
On August 5, 1997, President Clinton signed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program into law. Also known as “CHIP,” the Children’s Health Insurance Program provides affordable health coverage for children in families who do not qualify for Medicaid. Although programs vary by state, all CHIP programs offer the following coverage:
■ Routine check-ups ■ Immunizations ■ Doctor visits ■ Prescriptions ■ Dental and vision care ■ Inpatient and outpatient hospital care ■ Laboratory and X-ray services ■ Emergency services CHIP funding comes from both the federal and state governments, much like Medicaid. However, CHIP differs from Medicaid in that it receives about 15 percent more federal dollars than Medicaid programs. For example, in 2012, the federal government matched Michigan’s CHIP by 76.3 percent and Medicaid by 66.14 percent. The reasoning behind this difference is to encourage states to expand their Children’s Health Insurance Program. States can operate their CHIPs as separate from, in combination with, or as an expansion of their Medicaid
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caringvoice.org • Fall 2013 Children & Creativity Issue
Photos: (Top) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Amanda Mills; (center and bottom) NIAMS, NIH
Overview of CHIP