AHCA Statement on Florida Healthy Kids Board Meeting

The Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Justin Senior today released the following statement on the upcoming Florida Healthy Kids Board meeting.
Secretary Senior said, “Our Agency remains steadfastly committed to ensuring that no children lose their insurance coverage due to Hurricane Irma. During tomorrow’s Board meeting, the Board will hear and discuss the facts and the options Florida may have. We look forward to learning the facts, and discussing strategies that ensure that no child loses insurance as a result of Hurricane Irma.”
Ensuring that children have access to health care has always been a priority of our Agency. Under Governor Scott’s leadership, Florida has had much success in lowering the rate of uninsured children. According to a Georgetown University study, in 2009 Florida’s uninsured rate among children was 14.8 percent, and by 2016 had dropped to 6.2 percent. This is the second best improvement of any state in the U.S. this decade.
To qualify for CHIP, families can have incomes between 133 percent and 200 percent of the poverty level. This means the children in a family of four would qualify with an annual income between $33,000 and $49,000. Children included in the full-pay population are families living over 200 percent of the federal poverty line.