When you're unemployed and your health insurance has ended, your children may qualify for coverage under the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. Even if you're receiving unemployment benefits, your income might be within this program's expanded income limits, which are designed to include uninsured children.
Basics of the State Children's Health Insurance Program
The State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, is a federal act that provides funds to states to expand their health care coverage for uninsured children. First signed into law by President Clinton in 1997, the act was reauthorized by President Obama in 2009. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the program, which is funded by a combination of state and federal appropriations.
Eligibility
Working within federal guidelines, each state determines eligibility for its Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, deciding who may receive benefits, the services that will be covered and how the program will be administered. In general, CHIP is intended for children under age 19 who aren't eligible for regular Medicaid coverage and for pregnant women. Assets aren't considered in determining eligibility, but income must fall within specified limits. Federal law mandates that states use at least 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines as the upper income limit for children under age 19 and at least 185 percent for pregnant women.
Administering CHIP
The National Health Policy Forum, in a background paper issued in 2009, noted that most states administer the CHIP using a combination of expanded Medicaid coverage and a separate CHIP. Some states have partnered with private insurance companies. After a child is determined to be ineligible for regular Medicaid, the private insurer makes a separate eligibility determination and administers benefits.
Applying for CHIP
You must apply for regular Medicaid before you can apply for CHIP. If your child is determined to be ineligible for Medicaid because your income exceeds the limit, then you'll be referred to the CHIP. Individual states handle CHIP differently, and you'll need to contact your local Medicaid office for application instructions.
Health Care Reform and CHIP
According to the Christian Science Monitor's analysis of the health care reform bill, the CHIP will continue at its present funding levels until 2019. Individual states will not be able disqualify children until then, even if state budgets have insufficient funding for the program.
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