List of Insurance in Colorado for People With Low Income

Finding and keeping health insurance is a major concern in the United States. It is almost impossible to get quality health care without it, yet maintaining health care coverage can be expensive, especially for families or people with health conditions. Fewer and fewer people are able to get health insurance coverage paid through their employers, and low-income workers have an especially difficult time finding coverage that can fit into their budgets. Residents of Colorado have a number of health care insurance plans they may qualify for, however.

Medicaid

• Medicaid is part of a federal insurance program meant for low-income families, the disabled, the elderly, the blind or pregnant women. Medicaid is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The plan is jointly funded by both the federal and the state governments and is managed by the individual states. Qualifying for Medicaid depends on income, family size and age. Colorado Medicaid benefits may include nurse practitioner services, podiatry, doctor's visits, outpatient substance abuse treatment, inpatient psychiatric services for children and the elderly, prescription drugs, emergency services and hospice, care of the terminally ill.

Child Health Plan Plus

• Colorado's Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) is a low-cost health insurance program for children and pregnant women. To qualify for CHP+, applicants have to make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private health insurance. This is determined by family size and monthly income. One person who makes $2,257 per month may qualify as might a family of six with a monthly income of $6,153. Child and elder care, dental expenses, child support payments and alimony are allowed to be deducted from your income. CHP+ does have annual enrollment fees, out-of-pocket expenses and co-payments, which can range from $5 per visit for medical care to $15 per visit for emergency services.

Colorado Indigent Care Program

• The Colorado Indigent Care Program (CICP) is not technically an insurance program, but it does help low-income workers obtain health care. CICP provides money to clinics and hospitals so they can then provide discounted services to those residents who meet eligibility requirements. To qualify for the program, you must be a legal resident of Colorado or a legal immigrant or migrant farm worker. You must also be ineligible for Medicaid and have income and resources at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Applications are generally not completed in advance, but are instead filled out by the clinic or hospital within 90 days of the date you receive service. Participants are rated based on total income and resources and then assigned a co-payment amount. Applicants do not have to pay more than 10 percent of their income within a 12-month period for medical services gained through a CICP provider.