Childrens Health Care Access Would Improve Under Universal Coverage Plans

Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program serve as lifelines for low- and moderate-income children. Both programs provide expansive, child-focused benefits that ensure that children enrolled in them have access to essential health care services. Coverage under Medicaid and CHIP has not only contributed to better health outcomes for children, but it has also increased their families financial stability and improved enrolled childrens educational attainment and future earnings.1

While the United States has significantly improved childrens access to health insurance in recent yearsparticularly through coverage gains made under the Affordable Care Act childrens health care is currently under attack.2 Uninsured rates among children are increasing:3 An estimated 828,000 children lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage in 2018 due to Trump administration policies and conservative states efforts to impose burdensome costs and paperwork requirements.4 As of 2017, approximately 4 million children remain uninsured in the United States and are unable to get the care they need.5

Its Time To Start Adulting

Theres something to be said for biting the bullet and starting to learn about health coverage, said Buckey. The more you experience it for yourself, the more inclined you are to be a better healthcare consumer, she said.

When its your money, youre more careful and making sure youre making the best decisions for yourself, Buckey said.

Other considerations that are important for adult children are their location relative to their family and their desire for privacy. If they live far away from parents, much of their care on a family plan may be out of network.

In addition, adult kids should realize that if they are on their parent’s health insurance, it means the parent is likely receiving notifications about medical visits.

If you would rather have more privacy on those matters, it may be time to get your own health insurance plan, said Penny Gusner, consumer analyst at Insure.com.

Pros And Cons Of Buying Life Insurance For Your Child

It may be helpful to look at the pros and cons of purchasing life insurance for your child prior to making your decision.

Purchasing life insurance for your child can help them be more insurable in the future by locking in a health rating that they can use for the rest of their life. Even if they were to develop diabetes, they would be able to get competitive health insurance at a lower cost. In the future, your child would be able to use the cash value portion of their policy by borrowing against it, withdrawing those funds or even surrendering the policy. In the event that the worst happens and your child were to pass away, you would be able to focus on grieving rather than worrying about the finances of an expensive funeral.

On the flipside, child life insurance is not for everyone. Cash value accounts usually have a low rate of return and these policies typically have a low coverage limit.

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Where Do Families Turn Without Employer

Childrens uninsurance rates reached historic lows in the years prior to the pandemic in 2016, fewer than 5 percent of children in the US lacked health insurance. Increasing pediatric enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has been largely responsible for achieving near-universal coverage for children and has prevented many children from becoming uninsured if their parents were unable to obtain affordable dependent coverage through their employers. Between 2008 and 2018, the proportion of kids with Medicaid or CHIP increased from 27 percent to 38 percent. Importantly, the evidence shows that public insurance provides children with a robust benefit package with fewer out-of-pocket costs.

The rapid and widespread impact that COVID-19 will have on compounding the loss of affordable commercial pediatric coverage is truly without precedent, but examining how families reacted as ESI became less affordable or unavailable over the past decade can guide our planning for the years ahead. Our research published in Health Affairs found that, following the Great Recession in 2008, a growing number of parents covered their children with public insurance even when ESI was an option. Among families earning 100199 percent of the federal poverty level and who were therefore most vulnerable to cost increases of ESI, nearly one in three children was covered by public insurance even though their parent had employer coverage.

Q1: It Seems Like Plans And Insurers Can Terminate Dependent Child Coverage After A Child Turns 26 But Employers Are Allowed To Exclude From The Employee’s Income The Value Of Any Employer

Under the law, the requirement to make adult coverage available applies only until the date that the child turns 26. However, if coverage extends beyond the 26th birthday, the value of the coverage can continue to be excluded from the employee’s income for the full tax year in which the child had turned 26. For example, if a child turns 26 in March but is covered under the employer plan of his parent through December 31st , the value of the health care coverage through December 31st is excluded from the employee’s income for tax purposes. If the child stops coverage before December 31st, then the premiums paid by the employee up to the time the plan was stopped will be excluded from the employee’s income.

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Do You Need To Buy Separate Health Insurance For College Students

August 2, 2018 By Amanda Blankenship

In many cases, health insurance is less than affordable, making it difficult for individuals to decide whether or not coverage is worth the cost. It isnt something to be overlooked, especially for students. More than 20 million students are expected to return to college this fall and, without fail, colds and the flu will begin spreading. You dont want yourself or your child to fall behind because they didnt have the health care they needed while away at school but do you really need separate health insurance for college students?

What Is The Best Child

ValuePenguin has rated the options based on three criteria: cost, extent of coverage and eligibility criteria. Cost considerations are the No. 1 factor blocking access to care, playing a predominant role in determining what options parents should pursue first. Coverage and eligibility requirements are also important considerations.

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What Can You Do For Your Child

Theres no doubt that health insurance for your child can be an expense, but there are affordable plans out there and government programs willing to help. Aside from the private sector, the Childrens Health Insurance Program can help provide free checkups and dental visits along with reasonably priced copayments. Californians can get more information about childrens health insurance online and all USA residents can find out more about CHIP at Healthcare.gov. It can only help your childs future.

If youre in need of health insurance for your child, Freeway Insurance can help you find the right plan. Get a free childrens health insurance quote online or give us a call at 777-5620 today to get your child protected.

Services Covered By Medicaid And Chip

• Regular checkups at the doctor and dentist
• Medicine and vaccines
• Access to medical specialists and mental health care
• Treatment of special health needs and pre-existing conditions

These services are provided by health plans. If your child gets Medicaid or CHIP, you will choose a plan from the ones available in your service area.

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Children’s Medicaid Is The Best Option

The best-case scenario for anyone who needs child-only health insurance is for them to qualify for Medicaid coverage.

Why? Because you may not have to pay anything for it. And if you do have pay for it, you probably won’t pay much.

The catch, of course, is that not everyone is eligible for it. To be eligible for Medicaid, you have to meet certain financial and non-financial criteria. Generally, though, your monthly income needs to be below a specific limit.

Medicaid eligibility requirements differ from state to state. Thankfully, you don’t have to jump through a lot of hoops to figure out what the requirements are in your state. If you apply for coverage through healthcare.gov, it will let you know if you qualify for Medicaid–or CHIP, for that matter. And if you do qualify for either of those forms of coverage, it’ll send your information to your state agency, which will then contact you about enrollment.

Two things to keep in mind here:

• 1. Your state may or may not call its program “Medicaid.” Some, like Alabama and Delaware, do. Many others, like California and Massachusetts, don’t. That won’t matter if you apply through the federal marketplace site, but if you want to apply directly through your local agency, check healthcare.gov before you do so.
• 2. Although state Medicaid programs have to follow federal guidelines, the coverage they offer and how much they charge for it–if they charge anything–often differs from state to state, too.

Adults Are Responsible For Insurance

You’re also responsible for your own health insurance if you’re legally emancipated — declared an adult — which can happen as early as age 14, depending on where you live. To be emancipated, you must have an income sufficient for your living expenses, and your expenses will include health insurance. Starting in 2014, you’ll be eligible for Medicaid if you make $15,000 a year or less — whether you can be emancipated with a $15,000-a-year income is another question — and like any other adult, you’ll be eligible for federal subsidies for health insurance if you qualify for them.

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Why You Should Buy Life Insurance For Children

The chances you’d outlive your child or grandchild are extremely low. Nevertheless, there are reasons why you would want to buy a kids life insurance policy. According to insurance expert, Laura Adams, “The purpose of having different types of insurance is to reduce financial risk and give you peace of mind. When it comes to life insurance for children, there are pros and cons parents should consider.” Take a look at when life insurance for children is ideal.

If your child suffers from a life-threatening illness

Life insurance for children is a good idea if your child suffers from a debilitating or chronic illness. Larger amounts of life insurance would require a medical exam, but you could buy insurance for smaller amounts to cover burial costs, for example, without the child having to undergo a health check.

If your family is genetically predisposed to certain conditions

If you’re concerned that your child may inherit a genetic or medical condition, buying life insurance for your child before the condition becomes chronic or life-threatening could lock in future life insurance when the child becomes an adult.

Imagine a scenario of a child developing a medical condition that wouldn’t be insurable. Adams says, “Purchasing a permanent life policy early in the child’s life guarantees they have at least that much coverage as an adult. And if your child dies, the policy would help you pay funeral expenses and other costs.”

Find Cheap Health Insurance Quotes In Your Area

Child-only policies are health insurance policies that insure children and only children. Most child-only policies exist as part of larger health systems or plans in the public and private sectors, providing a range of options for parents looking for child-only policies.

Most people in the U.S. adults and children access health insurance through employer-based plans. But in many instances, children defined here as individuals under age 19 lack any type of health insurance.

Children may reside in a household where no one is covered or where their parent or guardian cannot afford policies that cover their dependents. In other cases, an employee health plan may cover just the employee or the employee and the employees spouse, leaving the children uninsured.

As a result, parents are forced to look for child-only policies. Although there are many options for child-only insurance in both the private and public sectors, these options are often determined by the financial situation of the parents. The options include the following:

• What is the best child-only health insurance coverage?

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Medicaid And Chips History Of Success

Established in 1965, Medicaid provides health coverage to low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities.7 While both states and the federal government finance Medicaid, states administer the program.8 As a result, there is a fair amount of flexibility in program design, and eligibility and benefits can vary by state. However, every state must cover certain groups of children and provide Early and Periodic Screening Diagnostic and Treatment services.9

EPSDT is an expansive benefit for all children under the age of 21 that requires coverage of periodic physical, mental, developmental, vision, hearing, and dental screenings in addition to all services that are medically necessary to detect and treat any physical and behavioral health conditionsregardless of whether or not the benefits are covered under the state plan.10 The goal of EPSDT is to catch health issues early in order to prevent any conditions from becoming serious or disabling. Research from Families USA found that, even when compared with large commercial plans, Medicaids health benefitsincluding EPSDTare the gold standard of childrens health coverage.11

Ways To Apply For Chip:

• Fill out an application through the Health Insurance Marketplace®. If it looks like anyone in your household qualifies for Medicaid or CHIP, well send your information to your state agency. Theyll contact you about enrollment. When you submit your Marketplace application, youll also find out if you qualify for an individual insurance plan with savings based on your income instead. Create an account or log in to an existing account to get started.

FYI: Apply any time

You can apply for and enroll in Medicaid or CHIP any time of year. Theres no limited enrollment period for either Medicaid or CHIP. If you qualify, your coverage can start immediately.

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Newsmillions Of Kids May Lose Health Insurance Over Missed Deadline By Congress

Swapna Reddy, a clinical assistant professor at Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions, called the drop in coverage rates “heartbreaking” but not surprising, given the Trump administration’s unwillingness to embrace former President Obama’s signature health care act.

“While Congress was not able to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last summer, what we have seen is these incremental deaths to it by a million paper cuts,” Reddy said, citing reductions of up to 90 percent in government funding for health care “navigators,” people who help customers enroll in and renew federal health insurance plans. In addition, there was a drastic cutback in the amount of advertising for federal marketplace health plans that the government paid for last year.

Even health care decisions not directly aimed at coverage for children often had unintended consequences such as in states that did not expand Medicaid coverage. Three-quarters of the children who lost coverage in 2017 live in such states, and uninsured rates for children increased at almost triple the rate in nonexpansion states, according to the Georgetown report.

Other Ways To Get Coverage Besides A Parent’s Health Insurance Plan

The ACA created easier ways for people to find an individual or small group policy. The law created a health insurance marketplace, which allows people to search for and compare health plans in one place.

However, there are other ways to get coverage. Here are alternatives when youre losing your parents health insurance.

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What Qualifies You For A Special Enrollment Period

Youre qualified for a special enrollment period with a health insurance plan when you lose coverage on your parents health insurance.

Lets look at an example. Lets say youre losing your health insurance from your parents. Youre eligible to join your employers group health plan. Losing your health coverage sparks a special enrollment period with your employer, so you can sign up for coverage. Those special enrollment periods are often 30 to 60 days.

You just need to show proof that you lost your coverage on a parents plan.

During the special enrollment period, your employer will provide you information about your options. Employers often have multiple options for health insurance.

Rather than an employer plan, you may also sign up for an ACA marketplace plan or individual health plan. Special enrollment for those plans is 60 days.

How To Apply For A Plan

Applying for an insurance plan through the health care marketplace can be done online through healthcare.gov or a state site, over the phone, or through regular mail by filling out a form that can be mailed to you or downloaded from the Internet.

Before you fill out an online application, you’ll need to create an account on either healthcare.gov or your state’s marketplace.

You’ll need to know a few things about each person applying for coverage. Be ready to provide:

• Social Security numbers
• information about employers and income
• policy numbers for any current health insurance plans

If you have a job that offers health insurance but you’re not happy with it, you can choose to get coverage through healthcare.gov instead. But before you apply, you’ll need to fill out a form called an Employer Coverage Tool that can be found on the healthcare.gov website.

The application will ask for standard information like your name, your child’s name, your address, phone number, and email. You’ll need to answer questions about citizenship, dependents, and whether you plan to file a federal income tax return the following year.

If you want help paying for insurance, you will have to provide information about your yearly income . This includes income from jobs and other sources like:

• Social Security
• property rental
• alimony

If you pay alimony or interest on student loans, you can deduct the amount you pay when you fill out your application.

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