Children's Health Insurance Program

Children's Medicaid provides health benefits to children in Texas whose parents earn below a certain income level. Unfortunately, due to the sometimes very high cost of insurance, some families that don't qualify for Medicaid can't afford to buy insurance either. In these instances, the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, comes into play.

CHIP is designed to provide low cost health insurance for the children of parents who earn too much money to fall under Medicaid but, at the same time, can't afford private insurance. In this program, unlike in Medicaid, a family will pay a monthly premium. When visits to the doctor, prescription drugs, and emergency care are necessary, the family will get the benefit of cost-sharing.

The CHIP program, unlike Medicaid, is divided into levels based on a family's income. The levels are based on percentages of the Federal Poverty Line income level. For example, a family that lives at or below the federal poverty line to 1.5 times the federal poverty line will pay nothing for the CHIP program. People at 1.5 times to 1.85 times the federal poverty line pay $35 a year for the family. People at 1.85 to 2.00 times the federal poverty line pay $50 a year.

The benefits are also broken down into a similar pay schedule. The co-pays are based on the same income breakdowns as the annual fees.

Contact a Texas Health Insurance Provider

For more information on health insurance options in Texas, contact Option 1 health insurance.