Covering Kids: Free Health Insurance

With the economy hitting rock bottom and families having to cut back in expenses, often one of the first things to get cut is the expensive health insurance premiums that must be paid every month to stay current. Even though families know it is important to keep their children covered, many cannot afford to do so, even with the cheapest plans. In order to help with this growing crisis, many states have implemented free medical health insurance plans so that individuals can obtain basic health insurance for their children.

Helping the Young

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has started a program that is called Insure Kids Now. This program provides low cost or free health insurance to families that do not make more than thirty-four thousand a year for a four person family are eligible to receive help from this plan. The plans vary from state to state, as the states have control over the money and how it is spent. However, the program is being implemented in more and more states as the problem of uninsured children continues to grow in society, risking the health of the next generation.

Although each state is different, there are some basic similarities between the free health insurance plans that are offered in the state. In order to be eligible, the child must be under the age of nineteen years old and the family's income must be above one hundred fifty percent and below two hundred percent of the Federal Poverty level. If the family income is under the one hundred fifty percent of the Federal Poverty level, then the child is usually eligible for Medicaid benefits. This means that for a four person family, the family income must fall between two thousand six hundred fifty dollars and three thousand five hundred thirty-four dollars per month.

If the family is eligible, the family must fill out the application and provide all of the documentation necessary to the state office so that they can verify the eligibility requirements are met for free health insurance for the children. If approved, the health benefits are usually comparable to that state's health insurance plan, as if the individual worked for the state and had that plan for their children's coverage. There are some families that will often get higher levels of help than others with the free health insurance plans, often having doctor's visits paid for, especially if they take the children to the free health clinics that are offered in their city.