Mississippi Health Insurance for Kids

With the cost of treatment for certain illnesses reaching six figures and higher, it's imperative to enroll children in some kind of medical insurance plan. Otherwise, you expose the whole family to the risk of bankruptcy and the potential loss of a home due to medical costs. Mississippi has a vibrant private health insurance market, as well as a safety net to provide basic coverage for children in families with limited incomes.

Coverage Through a Workplace Plan

• According to a 2010 report from the Economic Policy Institute, 50.4 percent of Mississippians under age 65 get health insurance for their children via a workplace group health insurance plan --- a 10 percent decline between 2000 and 2009. In fact, Mississippi ranks last among the 50 states for the percentage of its population under 65 that are covered under a workplace plan. Only 43 percent of Mississippians under age 18 are covered under a workplace plan. If your employer offers group health insurance, you can generally enroll a new baby or an adopted child even without having to wait for the open-enrollment period. Expect to pay an additional premium, however, even if your employer picks up a part of the cost for health insurance. If you don't enroll your child within a set amount of time, you probably have to wait for the next open-enrollment period to come around.

Individually Owned Family Plans

• If you don't have coverage at work, consider purchasing a family insurance plan. These plans are package plans that cover one or both parents and children, all on a single policy. Typically the insurance company combines deductibles into one family deductible. This helps limit your out-of-pocket costs for the whole family in the event that two or more family members have a need for medical treatment. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 all but eliminated child-only policies from the market, however.

Mississippi Children's Health Insurance Program

• The state of Mississippi has a federally subsidized program to help secure health insurance for children of low-income families. The program is called CHIP, or the Children's Heath Insurance Program. To enroll your child, contact the state program coordinator or one of Medicaid's regional offices. You have to submit to a parental interview and provide proof of family income, as well as proof of citizenship or legal residence status for each child for whom you're applying. You also need your child or childrens' Social Security numbers. For more information, call 877-543-7669 to speak to a state Medicaid/CHIP official.

Medicaid

• Medicaid is the federally subsidized and state-run program for the poor and indigent. If your family has a very low income, defined as 135 percent of the federal poverty line or lower for a family of your size, you or your child may be eligible for Medicaid. The application process is the same as that for the CHIP program. A Medicaid/CHIP official helps you determine which of these programs is appropriate for your family situation.