Many states have public health insurance programs that are designed to provide coverage for kids who come from low-income families. The state of Washington has a program called Apple Health for Kids. Many families in Washington are unaware that their kids could qualify for this type of insurance coverage.
There is an old saying that goes: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. In Washington, an apple could be what enables children to be able to be seen by a doctor. There is a Washington state initiative called Apple Health for Kids that is intended to streamline applications for children’s health care coverage in Washington.
Across the nation, there are many people who are eligible for Medicaid but do not know it. This means that there are lots of adults, and children, who are going completely without health insurance coverage unnecessarily. This is sad. Those who can’t afford to see a doctor miss out on preventative care, and that could cause a small, untreated, health issue to turn into a serious health problem.
Washington families who are seeking a public form of health insurance coverage for their children simply need to fill out one application. Fill out a quick, online, checklist to find out if your children are eligible for state medical assistance.
To qualify, children must be under the age of 19. There are income qualifications. The amount of your family’s income determines which of three types of Apple Health for Kids your children are eligible. If your income is low enough, your kids could qualify for free health insurance.
The next level requires a $20.00 monthly premium per child (but no family will pay more than $40.00 per month under this plan). Or, if your income is too high for that, then you could be paying $30.00 per month per child (but no family will pay more than $60.00 per month).
Apple Health for Kids is available to children who are citizens of the United States as well as children who are non-citizens. If you don’t have legal immigration documents for your child, and your family’s income is over 200% of the federal poverty level, you might end up paying a higher premium than expected in order for your child to be covered.
The program covers a comprehensive list of health care services. This includes hospital care, ambulance, urgent or emergent care, well child checkups, home health care, immunizations, lab services, doctor’s office visits, prescriptions, x-ray, and surgery. It also covers maternity care, dental care, eye exams, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Not all state programs include coverage for those types of care.
Image by Ano Lobb on Flickr