State Children Health Insurance Programs Usa

State Children Health Insurance Programs

In the United States of America the majority of our children are without health insurance, and those that do have health coverage from sources other than State or government health plans still do not receive proper health care. This is generally because co-payments and/or deductibles are more than parents can afford to pay to have their child seen for non-life threatening things such as well check-ups and vaccines. While almost every state offers guaranteed forms of health coverage for all children regardless of age, income or citizenship. The guidelines under which this is applicable propose many hurdles for parents to overcome to obtain this coverage for their children. This is especially difficult when a child is covered by a private health plan and the parents income levels are on the edge of the income qualifications.

For my paper I am primarily focusing on the state of Florida and what it offers in regard to state sponsored children's health insurance. Currently Florida ranks 49th in the nation in percentage of uninsured children. Under the current most commonly available plans either Medicaid or Florida Kid Care every child has the potential to be covered. However the income guidelines for Medicaid are variable by the age of the child and most children with a working parent over the age of 2 would not qualify. They would be eligible for Florida Kid Care generally at no or little cost but the child must be uninsured to even be considered for this plan. This can be a very difficult position to decide as a parent when insuring their children, if they drop them from private or employer based plans to apply for Florida Kid Care there is an approximate 30-60 day application period that the children would be uninsured for. Programs structured this way seem quite unreasonable to me. I feel that if a parent is providing private insurance to their child and they need a state funded program to pick up the copayments and deductibles this would be entirely more cost effective than having the child's healthcare paid for solely by the state of Florida.

Currently the state of Florida offers several programs to help cover the medical needs of its children. Florida KidCare consists of MediKids, coverage for children ages 1 to 4 years of age; Florida Healthy Kids, coverage for children ages 5 to 18 years of age; Children's Medical Services Network, a plan for children birth to age 18 with special healthcare needs such as autism, cerebral palsy and other disabilities; and Medicaid for children birth to age 18 that meet the income requirements set forth for their particular age group by the department of childrens and families.

In 2009 the guidelines for a child to be covered under Florida Medicaid stated that for children under 1 year of age gross household income mst be less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, for children ages 1 through 5 years household gross income must be less than 133% of federal poverty level and for children 6 through 18 years of age gross household income must be less than 100% of the federal poverty level. Additional qualifications include that the child must be a Florida resident, must be living with an adult caretaker, under 19 years of age, have a valid social security number or proof of pending/valid application for one, be a United States citizen or qualified non-citizen and disclose any other insurance coverage that the child may have, such as private or employer based coverage's.

For children that do not qualify for straight Medicaid due to income limits the other programs are available. MediKids is available primarily to assure than toddlers and young children receive the proper healthcare and screenings early in life. It has been established that early intervention is the key to helping a child remain healthy throughout their lifetime. To support this philosophy MediKids income limits are much higher than they are for Medicaid to ensure that more children in this vulnerable age group qualify for coverage. In exchange a small monthly premium may be applicable depending on income. Florida Healthy Kids qualifications are very similar to MediKids with the exception of the age specifications, and what the programs cover as well as the agency that runs the plan. MediKids is run by the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. Florida Kidcare or Florida Healthy Kids is run by the Florida Healthy Kids Organization. Both plans are state and government funded. In order for children to qualify for these plans they cannot be covered by any other health insurance plan as well as meet the income guidelines and other guidelines