About California Health Insurance for Children

Through the Healthy Families Program, the state of California offers low-cost health insurance to children in low-income families who can't qualify for no-cost Medi-Cal. In addition to medical coverage, the program provides low-cost dental and vision insurance to children who are legal residents of California.

Background

• California debuted its Healthy Families Program in 1998, offering health insurance for children who are uninsured and meet certain eligibility requirements. In February 2009, President Barack Obama reauthorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) law, whose funding helps support nearly 900,000 California children in the Healthy Families Program.

Qualifications

• Children living in California up to the age of 19 who are not eligible for no-cost Medi-Cal can qualify for the program. Additional qualifications include children in families with incomes that meet Healthy Families guidelines and children born to mothers enrolled in the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) Program who are not enrolled in Medi-Cal or employer-sponsored health insurance. As of April 2010, monthly income guidelines for joining Healthy Families for a family of three with a child up to 1 year old is $3,053 to $3,815 vs. a monthly income cap of $2,030 for no-cost Medi-Cal.

Coverage

• The California Healthy Family program offers low-cost comprehensive health, dental and vision care through a limited number of insurance plans. In additional to the basic medical care, children can also receive mental health care, speech and physical therapy.

Insurance Carriers

• Some of the health insurance carriers offered by under the Healthy Families programs are Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net and PacifiCare. Some members have the option of choosing local insurance carriers. Consultant the Health Families website for more details.

Cost

• Monthly enrollment costs vary depending on your income and insurance plan but are normally less than $50 per child. Members are also required to pay between $5 to $15 in co-payments for doctor visits.