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Florida State Health Insurance for Kids

The State of Florida offers free or subsidized health insurance for children through the Florida KidCare program. Broadly, the program consists of four basic parts: MediKids, which covers children ages 1 through 4, Healthy Kids, which covers children age 5 through 18, the Children's Medical Services Network, which covers all children under age 18 who have special health needs, and Medicaid, for wards of the state, children in foster care or children of low income families.

  1. Eligibility Rules

    • To enroll in Florida KidCare, the child must be under age 19 and not be in a public institution. The child cannot be a dependent of a state employee who is eligible for health insurance, and the child must not be eligible for Medicaid. Additionally, the child must be currently uninsured, and family income cannot be above a level determined by the Florida State Legislature. The program only covers children; adults are not eligible. Children must be U.S. citizens or fall into one of several special eligible non-citizen categories, which includes refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, Amerasians, military dependents, abuse or human trafficking victims and Iraqi and Afghani Special Immigrant Visa Holders.

    KidCare Medicaid

    • If children come from families with very low incomes, they may be eligible for KidCare Medicaid. Medicaid covers a variety of basic health services for these children, including mental health services, doctor visits, check-ups, shots, prescription drugs, emergency care, surgery and hospital costs.

    Income Guidelines

    • Florida KidCare determines eligibility and subsidy levels based on family income, expressed as a percentage of the federal poverty line. Generally, children in their first year qualify for Medicaid for Children if their family income is at 185 percent of federal poverty level for a family of a given size. Between ages 1 and 4, inclusive, the threshold for Medicaid is 133 percent of the federal poverty level. The threshold for children ages 6 to 19 is 100 percent of the federal poverty line. Generally, families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line qualify for full subsidies for the MediKids and Healthy Kids programs.

    Application

    • To apply for any of Florida KidCare's programs, including Medicaid, dial 888-540-5437, or apply online at the Florida KidCare website, available in Resources. There is no enrollment period - you can enroll your child at any time during the year. The program costs between $15 and $20 per month for most families. KidCare Medicaid, however, is free.

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