What’s the deal with those discount health insurance cards?

Martha

Great question.

Discount medical health insurance cards claim to be a great alternative for people who don’t have the money to be able to afford insurance. For that very reason, they may be a little attractive at first, especially to any of the millions of uninsured who have no other option. It would be a great idea to offer low cost health insurance to those who fall through the gap between government aid and medical self sufficiency. However, upon closer look, this discount medical health insurance cards aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be.

The business of discount health cards is growing fast, and many health insurance companies are now offering them as an affordable alternative to full on health insurance plans. What they do is give the card holder discounts on things like doctor appointments, hospital visits, and prescriptions. In some cases, they may be the only option for someone who can’t afford health insurance, and thus it won’t matter that that person is still footing the whole medical bill, just with a slight discount. However, for those who feel the need to avail themselves of this option, an eye should be kept out for the many cards that are fraudulent.

Many sellers of these fraudulent discount cards make it look like the cards are actual health insurance, when they aren’t. They are not regulated, and there’s no way to protect yourself as a consumer if you get one of these cards. Even the more normally legitimate businesses that offer the cards tend to make it look like the savings and discounts that you get from them are much more than they actually are. If you fall for this, you could end up paying more for a card every month than it’s saving you money.

Even if the discounts they promise are technically on the card, a lot of times there will be a bunch of under the table fees that will take those away, so that in the end the only thing that this card you have will be is a piece of useless plastic. It can have the effect of making some people who can barely afford their health insurance plan exchange it for a card, convinced by the companies that it is an actual health insurance plan, only to find themselves paying all of their medical bills.

There are many of these companies out there who are trying to steal your money without actually giving you anything in return. One company has already charged unwilling customers for cards that they never wanted, fraudulently using their credit card numbers.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I’m seventy years old and have been living in Florida for six months. What kinds of programs does Florida have for health insurance for seniors?

Duke

SHINE.

Sorry, not trying to be unreasonably cheery. That’s actually the name of Florida’s health insurance program for seniors. SHINE. It stands for Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders and is the state’s subsection of the program, called SHIP, or state health insurance programs, that is existent in every state and territory of the United States. SHINE does not actually provide Florida seniors with senior health insurance–that’s what Medicaid is for–but it does provide them with plenty of very useful services.

SHINE is, essentially, a way to educated senior citizens living in Florida of what their options are when it comes to medical health insurance. It helps them decide what they want to do in the long run, and helps them disentangle the confusing red tape that is wrapped around the new, improved Medicare prescription program. This free education comes in the form of one on one counseling and group efforts.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

If I am not a legal resident of the United States, but my child is, then can I stil apply for child health insurance for them? Would I be reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service?

Gloria

Not at all.

The only thing that the people who run the KidCare child health insurance program in Florida are looking at whenever they are approving or denying applications for insurance coverage is the child. If the child is not a legal resident of the United States, then there will be a problem and the child will not be eligible for coverage. However, if the child has acceptable legal status but the parent does not, that does not come in to play at all.

Even if the parent who is applying for the insurance for their child does not have legal immigration status in the United States, the state of Florida will not report the parent to the Immigration and Naturalization services when the parent applies for child health insurance for their kid. A parent would only be reported to the INS if they were applying for something like cash welfare or food stamps and they are not legal or they have a deportation order out on them.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

How do I apply for KidCare child health insurance in Florida?

Louis

Glad you asked.

If you have looked over the requirements for being able to receive child health insurance through KidCare, and you feel that your child meets those requirements, or you want to give it a shot just in case, then you can go ahead and fill out an application for KidCare child health insurance. Remember that your kid might be able to get KidCare even if they are not a citizen of the United States, and that if you have been turned down for Medicaid, you might be eligible for different KidCare insurance. Here’s what to do if you’re child isn’t a citizen of the U.S and you’re applying for their health insurance.

• Get some copies! You need copies of the following forms.
  • Arrival or departure record, also known as form I-94
  • Passport that has the immigration status on it and has been stamped by the INS
  • Your authorization of travel form, also known as I-571
  • Your show of status–be it a resident card, green card, or resident alien card
  • Application for asylum
  • Something like a letter for a judge or a Laissez-Passer that proves the child’s immigration status
• Then you just clip these paper’s to the application for KidCare, make sure your and the other parent’s name are on there, and send it in!

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Me and my kids aren’t citizens of the United States, but we’re living here legally and I’m not able to afford health insurance for us. Am I able to provide them with health care through Florida’s KidCare child health insurance?

Emilie

Maybe so.

For people who aren’t citizens of the United States, the path to getting state sponsored health insurance for their children might be even more difficult than for other people. There are several extra requirements that determine whether or not the child fits into a certain group that makes it to where they are able to receive this help from the state. For the most part, in order to get KidCare, you have to be a citizen. But there are a few children who can still get it even if they weren’t born in the U.S. They’re called ‘qualified aliens’.

People who are legally residing in the U.S. but aren’t citizens might be eligible for Florida child health insurance if they fit the following criteria.

• Are Ameriasians.
• Come from Haiti or Cuba
• Are refugees and have received certification from the Office of Refugee Resettlement for being trafficking victims
• Are the children of someone who is in the military or is a veteran of it
• Kids who have resided legal as residents for at least five years
• People in asylum, here as refugees, or who have had their removal withheld.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I’m an American Indian living in Florida. Are my children eligible for KidCare Florida health insurance?

Sam

It depends.

If you are a Native American, then it will still depend on your income and other eligibility requirements to determine whether or not your children are able to get KidCare Florida health insurance, such as determining whether or not your child is provided with health care insurance through your employer. If you otherwise meet the eligibility rules, then your children probably will be able to get insured through KidCare child health insurance.

The great thing about getting KidCare child health insurance if you are an American Indian is that it has pretty much no cost. Unlike other KidCare recipients, who must pay a monthly premium as well as some co-payments and fees for doctor visits and prescriptions, if you are an American Indian the service is entirely free, with no monthly charge nor co-payments. Call the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to find out if your child is eligible.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I’m a worried grandmother whose granddaughter has been getting sick a lot lately, but her parents don’t have the money for health insurance nor do they have the money to take her to the doctor. What can I, as a grandparent, do?

Millie

I’m glad you asked.

You would be surprised by how much exactly a grandparent can do, because according to state laws in Florida, they are not entirely without rights as concerns their grandchildren. It may be true that a grandparent is not allowed to apply for health insurance for a child, even when that child does not have child health insurance or any real way of getting it, but there are still some things that the grandparent can do.

According to Florida Statute Chapter 743.0645, you have the right to get health care on the behalf of your grandchild. This means that you can take your granddaughter to the emergency room or the doctor’s office, and can consent to major things. This right only comes, though, after the doctor on duty has tried many times to get in tough with the parent, and the parent has also not declared that the child can not be treated in such a way.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

My grandson doesn’t have Florida health insurance, and it really worries me. I know about Florida child health insurance programs like KidCare. Am I able to apply for the insurance for him?

Luther

Unfortunately, no.

It’s naturally to care and be worried about your grandkids when you are a grandparent. That’s just how love works. It is even more worrisome when you see that your grandchildren are so vulnerable to a health disaster and might not be getting proper care, and their parents are either unable or unwilling to get this care for them. As a grandparent, this will make you desire more than anything to fix this problem, but because you do not have custody of the children, your rights are restricted.

That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing that you can do, though. Being a grandparent, you are able to look up information about the child health insurance programs in the state of Florida so that you can find out what can be done for the child. While you can’t apply, you can discuss your findings with the parents, and even have an application for child health insurance sent to them in the mail.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

I take care of my granddaughter, and it’s hard enough to support the both of us while I’m getting on in years. How can I get Florida health insurance for her?

Glenda

Great question.

When you have a grandchild that lives with you in your home in Florida, they are likely to be able to get KidCare Florida health insurance, even if you are not their legal guardian. A lot of times, the parent’s income will come into play to determine the eligibility, but if you are the legal guarding, then it will be your own income.

If you are going to apply for Florida health insurance for your child, then they do have to be living in your home with you, but it is not necessary to reveal for how long. Even if they have only been living with you for a week, you might still be eligible for KidCare child health insurance, so that you don’t have to worry about the little one you’re taking care of being uninsured.

How much does KidCare Florida health insurance cost?

Jackson

Good question.

It’s important to understand that the KidCare child health insurance program is not free, so it needs to be budgeted for low income families just like any other bill would. All the same, it does cost quite a bit less than most child health insurance plans, and so even though there will be a certain fee for the plan, it can also be understood that the parent will be saving a ton of money and most will find themselves able to afford it.

If you get the Medicaid version of KidCare, it is completely free, but this is the most difficult one to get because it has the strictest income requirements, and many people who are not eligible are still not able to afford Florida health insurance, which is where the rest of the KidCare child health insurance plans come into play.

These programs require an up front payment which is reimbursed if your kid is not accepted into the program. For the most part, the cost is very little, about fifteen or twenty dollars every month for the average Florida household. The maximum that you can pay is seventy dollars, so you can’t be charged more than that regardless of how many kids you have. Under seventy dollars, your payment falls somewhere within that range based on how many children you have and how many incomes you have in the house.

Not everything is completely covered by KidCare child health insurance. However, you won’t be paying a lot like with many medical health insurance companies. The most you will have to pay for some things are minimal co-payments and fees, which don’t add up to much.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.