Indiana Expands Health Insurance Program for Kids

If you live in Indiana and you have children, there may be some good news coming your way.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  Under the expansion, if you are a family that earns less than 2 ½ times the poverty level, you can be eligible to enroll your children in the SCHIP. 

The way the income amounts work out translate to families of two earning up to $35,000 annually or a family of four earning up to $53,000 annually.  If your family fits into these financial guidelines and your children need to obtain health insurance, you can apply for the SCHIP program for them. 

There are reasonable premiums for the program.  The premiums range from approximately $22 to $70 monthly, depending on income and the number of children.  Basically the premiums work on a sliding scale.

The expansion of the SCHIP program is a positive step toward making sure that as many children as possible have health insurance benefits.  The eventual goal is to cover all children living in the state.  The state of Indiana and the SCHIP program are actively trying to connect with families who fit the income limits and whose children are not insured.

Most states have some sort of Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP).  These are state-backed programs, usually approved by the federal government through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and facilitated in your local area in conjunction with the county health departments.

For information regarding CHIP benefits in your state, or to see if you qualify, contact your local Social Services or Health Department.  Even if you are not sure you qualify or you think your earnings are too high, don’t hesitate to check into CHIP coverage.  Your circumstance might fit into some of the regulations that would allow you to participate.  It is worth checking into.  Remember, the states are trying to insure as many children as possible so no child will be left without necessary medical care

Filed under: General-Medicare

Tags: children's health insurance, CHIP, CMS, medicaid, poverty level