HEALTH COVERAGE TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

MEDICAID & THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP)  

offer free or low-cost health coverage to children and families.

• If you are eligible for health coverage from your employer, but are unable to afford the premiums, some States have premium assistance programs that can help pay for coverage.  These States use funds from their Medicaid or CHIP programs to help people who are eligible for employer-sponsored health coverage, but need assistance in paying their health premiums. 

• If you or your dependents are already enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, and you live in a state offering assistance (Florida), you can contact the Children's Health Insurance Plan or your State Medicaid office to find out if premium assistance is available. 

• If you or your dependents are NOT currently enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, and you think you or any of your dependents might be eligible for either of these programs, you can contact any of the groups listed here to find out how to apply.  If you qualify, you can ask the State if it has a program that might help you pay the premiums for an employer-sponsored plan:
  


• Contact the State Medicaid Office


• Contact the Children's Health Insurance Plan


• Contact INSURE KIDS NOW by calling 1-877-Kids-Now (1-877-543-7669)

• Once it is determined that you or your dependents are eligible for premium assistance under Medicaid or CHIP, your employer’s health plan is required to permit you and your dependents to enroll in the plan – as long as you and your dependents are eligible, but not already enrolled in the employer’s plan.  This is called a “special enrollment” and you must request coverage within 60 days of being determined eligible for premium assistance. 


• As a Florida resident, you may be eligible for assistance paying your employer health plan premiums. 

 To learn more, call for further information at 1-866-762-2237, or click here to go online to the FLORIDA MEDICAID website.

                    

Florida Kid Care - Income Eligibility 2011

Are you eligible for Florida Kidcare, Medicaid, or Healthy Kids? In order to make that determination, you first need to know where your family income falls in the poverty guidelines. See the new 2011 Federal Poverty Guidelines below:

The 2011 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

Persons in family	Poverty guideline
1	$10,890
2	$14,710
3	$18,530
4	$22,350
5	$26,170
6	$29,990
7	$33,810
8	$37,630
For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

To read more information about the Federal 2011 Poverty guildlines, click HERE. Also, if you need to view the income amounts at the varying percentages over 100% of poverty level, please click HERE. The next step is to look at the Florida KidCare Eligibility chart. Below is a brief summary:

• Children ages 0 through one, up to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX and Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, up to 133% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages one through five, at 134% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids full pay

• Children ages 5 through 18, up to 100% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, at 101% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids full pay

To learn more or apply for Florida KidCare, please click HERE to visit their web site.

Florida KidCare health insurance

Child Health Insurance
You Can Afford

Through Florida KidCare, the state of Florida offers health insurance for children from birth through age 18, even if one or both parents are working. It includes four different parts. When you apply for the insurance, Florida KidCare will check which part your child may qualify for based on age and family income.

• MEDIKIDS: children ages 1 through 4.
• HEALTHY KIDS: children ages 5 through 18.
• CHILDREN’S MEDICAL SERVICES NETWORK: children birth through 18 who have special health care needs.
• MEDICAID: children birth through 18. A child who has other health insurance may still qualify for Medicaid.

Some of the services Florida KidCare covers are:

 

• Doctor visits
• Check-ups and shots
• Hospital
• Surgery
• Prescriptions
• Emergencies
• Vision and hearing
• Dental
• Mental health 

Follow this link for information on eligibility and cost.

There are several ways to apply for Florida KidCare:

• Apply online   or 

• Print an Application and Instructions

 If  you've applied for Florida KidCare before, call 1-888-540-5437 to update your information by telephone.

Medicaid Area Offices Accommodate Hearing Impaired

Medicaid Offices for Hearing-Impaired Beneficiaries

The Florida Association of the Deaf, Inc. (FAD) recently published a press release on Florida Medicaid Area Offices for beneficiaries who are hearing-impaired and need access to Medicaid services.

Florida Medicaid, a form of health insurance, is a state and federal partnership overseen by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Thirteen Medicaid Area Offices are set up throughout the state dedicated to assist beneficiaries. Each area office has a contact person and telephone number to help those beneficiaries who are hearing-impaired.

Medicaid Areas Office Contact Names and telephones numbers are listed here, alphabetically, for Pasco and the surrounding counties:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hernando: Area Number 3B, Tommy Ellis @ 352-840-5735
Hillsborough: Area Number 6, Scott Henjum @ 813-350-4830 &

Dondra Smith @ 813-350-4846
Pasco: Area Number 5, Gayle Ninis @ 727-552-1925

Pinellas: Area Number 5, Gayle Ninis @ 727-552-1925

Polk: Area Number 6, Scott Henjum @ 813-350-4830 &

Dondra Smith @ 813-350-4846
Sumter: Area Number 3B, Tommy Ellis @ 352-840-5735
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Beneficiary Services are free. You can call or have a family member call for you. To learn more about offerings and assistance, click here to view ACHA's Beneficiary Services section.

Pasco and Pinellas counties are represented by Medicaid Area Office Number 5. For more details, click on either (1) the AHCA Area Office map, or (2) MyFlorida Medicaid link. Then choose "Area Number 5".

Additionally, a few groups and links that provide support for the disabled:

Florida Association of the Deaf, Inc. (FAD) - provides services and important information about Medicaid and interpreters. Follow FAD through Facebook, or Twitter at deaFAD.
Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. (FTRI)- offers Florida Relay Service (711), providing a connection link with those who use standard telephone equipment
Florida 2-1-1 Network - dialing 211 is easy access to community human services information, with either a landline or cell phone, and available to every person in Florida.
Deaf Services Bureau - assistance for those in West Central Florida.

Florida Medicaid Program - Medicaid information provided through the Florida Health Finder Network web site.

Florida Health Finder - web site that connects Floridians with health care information.

Information has been provided by FAD inc., ACHA, and FTRI.

Florida Kid Care - Income Eligibility

Are you eligible for Florida Kidcare, Medicaid, or Healthy Kids?  In order to make that determination, you first need to know where your family income falls in the poverty guidelines. See the 2009 Federal Poverty Guidelines below:

The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia

Persons in family	Poverty guideline
1	$10,830
2	14,570
3	18,310
4	22,050
5	25,790
6	29,530
7	33,270
8	37,010
For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,740 for each additional person.

To read more information about the Federal 2009 Poverty guildlines, click HERE.  Also, if you need to view the income amounts at the varying percentages over 100% of poverty level, please click HERE.  The next step is to look at the Florida KidCare Eligibility chart.  Below is a brief summary:

• Children ages 0 through one, up to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX and Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, up to 133% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages one through five, at 134% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages one through five, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under MediKids full pay

• Children ages 5 through 18, up to 100% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Medicaid (Title XIX funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, at 101% to 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids (Title XXI funded)

• Children ages 5 through 18, above 200% of the federal poverty level, are covered under Healthy Kids full pay

To learn more or apply for Florida KidCare, please click HERE to visit their web site.

Medicaid Online Tutorial

The Pasco County Library System has launched a new tutorial to assist people who want to apply for Medicaid using the Access Florida web page, located here.  You can view the tutorial by clicking this link or going to the E-Government Tools Page here, selecting Tutorials, and then click on the image of the Medicaid video.  The E-Government Tools Page also contains a lot of other tutorials, videos, and government information.