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Health Insurance Programs for Children in West Virginia

Most children in West Virginia may obtain health care coverage through the state, if their families do not have private insurance coverage. Each of these programs are different and cover children based on their situations. Your local West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources office can offer information about Medicaid. These plans require a simple application and income verification.

  1. West Virginia CHIP

    • The West Virginia CHIP program helps families with a working parent or parents without health insurance. It could be that their employer does not offer health insurance, or the available insurance may be too costly. A child must have been without insurance for six months prior to enrollment this program. The child's family income must fall below the federal poverty line. A full income table is available from the CHIP program. The program is not designed to cover chronic serious conditions. Access West Virginia covers those types of conditions.

      The West Virginia plan covers a wide range of health care needs. A small co-pay must be made for some services, including prescriptions. The co-pay maximum is $35, with a maximum of $600 over the course of a year.

      West Virginia CHIP
      1018 Kanawha Boulevard East
      Suite 209
      Charleston, West Virginia 25301
      304-558-2732
      wvchip.org

    Medicaid

    • Medicaid is a federal health insurance program administered by the states. It is designed for children of impoverished parents or other caretakers. The parents or caretakers may be minors, disabled, retired and those who have little or no employment. The program is completely free.

      This program covers almost all the medical and dental care a child might need. It does cover pre-existing conditions that might cause insurance to be denied by private insurance companies.

      West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources
      State Capitol Complex, Building 3 Room 206
      Charleston, West Virginia 25305
      304-558-0684

    AccessWV

    • AccessWV is designed to cover children with chronic illnesses, pre-existing conditions or in need of long-term care. Parents or guardians applying for the program may be employed or unemployed. There are no income limits, but parents must be unable to obtain other insurance for their child. The deductible is between $400 to $4,000 per child, depending on the type of coverage selected.

      A child applying for this program must not qualify for any other health insurance program. No coverage is available for pre-existing conditions for 6 months after a child's application is approved. There is an annual benefit maximum of $200,000 and a lifetime maximum of $1 million in coverage.

      AccessWV
      P.O. Box 50540
      c/o West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources
      State Capitol Complex
      Charleston, WV 25305-0540
      866-445-8491
      AccessWV.org

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