Over eight million children in
the US went uninsured in the period between 2004 and 2005. This should not
happen because it is quite easy to buy cheap insurance for kids. The good news
is that kids that are not insured can now be insured with a number of health
insurance programs. These programs include Medicaid as well as the State
Children's Health Insurance Program or SCHIP.
Medicaid
Medicaid is primarily an
insurance plan that aims to provide protection to families whose income levels
are very low. As long as a family qualifies for Medicaid, they will be able to
make full use of this program which will offer coverage to, among others,
pregnant mothers as well as their babies. In addition, Medicaid also provides
coverage for kids aged below eighteen and in a few states; this coverage is
extended to cover children aged below 21.
State Children's Health Insurance
plan
SCHIP or State Children's Health
Insurance Program offers insurance to those families that have uninsured
children. Parents of such children who earn money that is in excess of the
limits that would otherwise have helped them to qualify for Medicaid will need
to look to using SCHIP that gets its funds from the federal government and not
from states; though it is the latter that runs the program. What this means is
that each state lays down its own set of eligibility criteria. In most cases,
families with incomes of about double that of the federal government's poverty
level will qualify for coverage under SCHIP. A few states even extend coverage
to include adults as well.
Find a work through Health
Insurance Coverage
In case of parents who are
earning too much to qualify for SCHIPS or Medicaid, then the best way for them
to purchase cheap insurance for kids is to take a job where health insurance
coverage is offered by the employer. The only trouble with this option is that
many a small business owner will not be in a position to offer required health
coverage. If this is the case, then there is no other option than to purchase
individual or even family insurance policies.
Major Health Insurance Policy
Unless a child is covered by some
kind of major health insurance policy, their welfare would be gravely
jeopardized, especially when a serious illness or injury affects them. Most
health insurance policies for kids will only cover the child against serious
injuries or illnesses and will not provide coverage for things such as annual
checkups; such plans are in fact meant to act as a safety net against
calamitous situations. Since these plans do not cover for continual wellness,
they tend to be much cheaper than full insurance coverage. This is also one way
to purchase cheap insurance for kids.
The bottom line is that there are
several options available for purchasing cheap insurance for kids. Picking the
plan that suits a family's personal circumstances is the best is the way to go.
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