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CHIP: Ensuring Access of a Child to High-Quality Health Insurance
from: InsuranceDealTime.comAccording to the United States Census Bureau, there are around 11 million American children who are uninsured. It is also recorded that 9 out of 10 of these uninsured children have parents who are presently working. Although their parents are working, they are not covered on the group health insurance sponsored by their parent's employers, or their parents are too much qualified to enroll their children for Medicaid program under the old eligibility qualifications yet cannot afford to avail of private health coverage.
Furthermore, the number of children who are not covered by any private health insurance plan grows as time pass by. As mentioned earlier, the coverage that is supposed to be extended to these children as part of their parents' group health insurance plan starts to deteriorate. It is accounted to the higher cost of group health insurance on the part of the employer, thus they tend to cut back the support for dependent coverage.
It is evident on some of the statistics recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau. In 1980, a majority of medium-sized business employees had employers who pay the health insurance costs in full. However, in the recent years, only less than 25 percent of employers shoulder the health insurance costs in full. In addition, more than 75 percent of employees at present are required to shoulder some or worse, the full cost of the health insurance.
Nevertheless, it resulted for more children in the United States to be left uncovered by any health insurance policy. Children are most likely to be prone to different sickness, thus their health needs should always be provided. Without any health insurance at all, what will an ordinary child expect when he get sick and needs immediate medical assistance?
Realizing the need for an immediate action with regards to the growing number of uninsured children in the United States, different states have passed legislations to address the problem confronting uninsured American children, thus the CHIP was formed.
Children's Health Insurance Program, or also known as CHIP, is a federal and state program that seeks to offer high quality health insurance coverage to children of working parents who are too much to be eligible to the Medicaid program yet cannot afford any private health insurance coverage. It was created under the revised Title XXI of the Social Security Act.
For the next 10 years, CHIP is expected to have 48 billion dollars that will be used on state-initiated activities to provide high quality health insurance coverage for uninsured American children. It will also be used to further reach all uninsured children and ensure the eligibility of children on either CHIP or the expanded Medicaid program.
All uninsured children through 18 years of age are eligible to CHIP. Children who did not qualify for the Medicaid program are also eligible for the CHIP. Their family income must not exceed the levels specified by the program. For instance, if you have a family of 4 members, your maximum income to be eligible for the free CHIP program must be $35,300. In the same manner, your family income must not exceed $41,478 to be eligible to the subsidized CHIP program.
The following are the benefits your children are entitled to under the CHIP program:
- Dental, hearing, and vision care;
- Routine check-ups;
- Prescription medicines;
- Diagnostic examinations;
- Immunizations;
- Emergency care;
- Hospitalization coverage for up to 90 days in any coverage year;
- Mental health benefits;
- Partial confinement to any mental health facility;
- Home health care; and
- Rehabilitation therapy.
With the Children's Health Insurance Program, every uninsured American child will now have an access to high quality health insurance coverage.
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