CHIP Program

The Agency for Health Care Administration today released the following statement regarding the deadline extension for the CHIP program in Florida.
“Ensuring that children have access to health care is one of our Agency’s top priorities, and the state will do everything in our power to help these families in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
“If a family contacts Florida KidCare and informs them that they do not have the means to pay the monthly premium, which usually ranges from $15 to $20 a month, Florida KidCare works with that family to determine if they are eligible for a lower-cost health insurance or Medicaid.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that families who are working with the CHIP system have coverage for their children. We have extended the deadline once already due to Irma, and we will look at further extending the deadline should the need arise. Before the deadline extension, Florida KidCare received timely payments for over 214,000 children. Since the announcement of the extension deadline, 490 children have been reenrolled in the CHIP program after making their premium payment.
“We will work with every family to ensure there is NO lapse in coverage due to Hurricane Irma. During the first week of October, KidCare began reaching out to families by telephone, text, email, and letter and it is possible that more families will take advantage of the deadline extension. KidCare will continue to communicate with families throughout the month.”
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. If a payment is made at any time in October the coverage would be retroactive back to October 1, ensuring NO lapse in coverage. Our Agency has estimated that it would cost the state about $7.4 million dollars to waive premiums for one month, and the cost to the state would double to $14.8 million or more to waive premiums for enrollees for October and November in the CHIP program in the 48 disaster-declared counties.
Our Agency is encouraging families who may have been affected to call 1-888-540-5437 today and talk with a Florida KidCare representative about making a payment or to discuss other coverage options if their income and size of household has recently changed.