Health care costs for children can add up quickly and health insurance is an important tool to help reduce these costs. A parent in the state of Florida who does not receive medical benefits through his place of employment has options in regards to obtaining health insurance for his child. Florida offers free or low-cost health insurance plans for qualifying children in uninsured families.
Types of Programs
A parent who needs to apply for health insurance for her child can do so through a program called Florida KidCare. Florida KidCare offers three different types of health insurance programs for children from birth to 18 years of age: These programs are Medicaid, MediKids and Healthy Kids.
Age Guidelines
The type of insurance a child may receive depends partially on the age of a child. Medicaid is financially based and covers children who need it from birth up to the age of 18. MediKids covers children from birth to 5 years of age who do not qualify for Medicaid coverage. Florida Healthy Kids covers children who are between 5 and 18 years old and who do not qualify for Medicaid.
Medicaid Income Guidelines
The type of insurance a child qualifies for depends largely on family income and the age of the child. Each program has its own income guidelines. A child under the age of 1 year will qualify for Medicaid if the family's gross income is less than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). A child age 1 to 5 will qualify if a family's gross income is less than 133 percent of the FPL, and a child age 6 to 18 will qualify for Medicaid if the gross income is less that 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
KidCare Income Guidelines
Families with uninsured children can have a gross income above the the guidelines for Medicaid and still qualify for low-cost health insurance through Florida KidCare. MediKids covers children from birth to 5 years and a family must have a gross income between 133 percent and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. In order to qualify for Florida Healthy Kids, a child must be between the ages of 5 and 18 years and the family's gross income must be under 200 percent of the FPL. A small premium payment is required of families who qualify for health insurance under the Florida KidCare Program.
Other Qualifiers
In order for a child to qualify for health insurance in the state of Florida he must be a resident of Florida. He must be under the age of 19 and be under the care of a legal guardian. A qualifying child must be a United States citizen or qualified non-citizen, and he must have a Social Security number. The child for whom an application is being submitted must not have any other type of health insurance.
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