Grants to states to cover children with family incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or 50 percent above existing eligibility, whichever is higher.
Enacted in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act as Title XXI of the Social Security Act, CHIP is a federal-state matching program of health coverage for uninsured low-income children. In contrast to Medicaid, CHIP is a block grant to the States; eligible low-income children have no individual entitlement to a minimum package of health care benefits. Children who are eligible for Medicaid are not eligible for CHIP. States have the option of administering CHIP through their Medicaid programs or through a separate program (or combination of both). The federal matching rate for CHIP services is higher than that for Medicaid, but the federal allotment to each state for CHIP services is capped at a specified amount each year.
A federal-state program enrolling children from families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health insurance.
Is designed to provide healthcare for children who come form working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford private health insurance. In Indiana, CHIPs is also known as Hoosier Healthwise.
SCHIP, established in 1997, provides federal funds and plan flexibility to states in order to deliver health coverage to uninsured, low-income children. Plan options include the expansion of a state Medicaid plan or the creation of a new program, based either on the largest Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) in the state, or the state employees health plan.
Under Title XXI of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the availability of health insurance for children with no insurance or for children from low-income families was expanded by the creation of SCHIP. SCHIPs operate as part of a state's Medicaid program. Although Medicaid has made great strides in enrolling low-income children, significant numbers of children remain uninsured. From 1988 to 1998, the proportion of children insured through Medicaid increased from 15.6% to 19.8%. At the same time, however, the percentage of children without health insurance increased from 13.1% to 15.4%. The increase in uninsured children is mostly the result of fewer children being covered by employer-sponsored health insurance. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 created a new children's health insurance program called the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This program gave each state permission to offer health insurance for children, up to age 19, who are not already insured. SCHIP is a state administered program and each state sets its own guidelines regarding eligibility and services.
Free or low-cost health insurance is available now in your state for uninsured children under age 19. State Children?s Health Insurance Programs help reach uninsured children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to get private coverage. Information on your state?s program is available through Insure Kids Now at 1-877-KIDS NOW (1-877-543-7669). You can also look at www.insurekidsnow.gov on the web for more information.
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is a national program in the United States designed for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance. The program was created to address the growing problem of children in the United States without health insurance. At its creation in 1997, SCHIP was the largest expansion of health insurance coverage for children in the United States since Medicaid began in the 1960s.