Medicaid is one of the easier types of federal assistance to get, but it still disqualifies many families who are unable to provide health insurance for their children. The number of families without child health insurance in Lexington, Kentucky is particularly high, and that is why the state program, KCHIP, exists to help families who fall through the Medicaid gap receive assistance for their children. The decision of who is and isn’t eligible for KCHIP depends on the age of the children involved and how much their parents make. You don’t have to be below the poverty level to qualify your kids for KCHIP–the cap is 200% of the poverty level.

An example of a family who is 200% of the federal poverty level is a family with two adults and two kids that brings home slightly over forty thousand every year. There are different requirements for the number of people in every family. If you have a family of five people, the cap is $48,260. For six, it is $55, 220. For seven, it is $62,180. If you have more children than that, contact your KCHIP office that is local to find out what the maximum income for your family size is. The income, you should be aware, is based on how much you make every year before taxes are taken out, not what you actually bring home.

The income limits for KCHIP don’t always remain the same, as they have to be adjusted for inflation and changes in wages. If you are unsure of your income, make sure that each April you check and see what the new limits are so that you don’t waste time applying only to find out that your are ineligible.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.