If the child has health insurance through his parents' jobs, he might be disqualified for CHIP.
The reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) came from the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. The primary goal of the law is to provide adequate health care to millions of children who meet the program's qualifications, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Age and Citizenship of the Child
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a child is eligible for CHIP enrollment if he is younger than 19 years of age. To verify the age of the child and his identity, the child's school ID with a photograph or doctor's record can suffice as secondary documents.
Apart from providing proof of the child's age, an amendment in the U.S. federal law now requires parents to show proof that the child is a U.S. citizen. The most acceptable forms of documentation are the child's Social Security card and birth certificate, Certificate of U.S. Citizenship and Certificate of Naturalization if the child was born in another country.
In the absence of these documents, each state in the United States has a specific list of secondary documents that CHIP accepts as proof of the child's citizenship and identity. For instance, in the state of Iowa, a final adoption decree is considered an acceptable secondary document to show proof of the child's citizenship.
Household Income
Another thing considered whether a child qualifies for enrollment in CHIP is the income level of the parents. According to the Insure Kids Now, an information and resource website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a child is generally eligible if the household and family income amounts to $44,100 or less per year. However, certain states may impose their own income eligibility requirement policies.
Existing Health Insurance Coverage
In line with this, it is important to note that a child may not be qualified for CHIP if the he is listed as a dependent of the parents' job-based health insurance policy. In some places, like in the state of Alabama, this also applies to parents who are employed by either a state or local government office, or a public school. In the event that one or both parents no longer have health insurance from their employer, there is a waiting period of six months before the child becomes eligible.
Tags: health insurance, Health Insurance, proof child, child citizenship, Children Health
