Child Health Care Law

Child health care law seeks to ensure that children have adequate health care from their early years through young adulthood. The federal government and most states have regulations in place that mandate health insurance coverage for children.

Types

• Medicaid is a joint health care program funded by the federal government and the states. Each state administers the program, which includes CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. CHIP provides medical coverage for uninsured children. The federal government also passed the Affordable Care Act, which requires private insurers to offer coverage to children under the parent's policy until the child reaches age 26.

Significance

• Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers cannot deny coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies must also cover preventive health care services. The law prohibits insurance companies from assessing additional costs for extending the required coverage to consumers.

Features

• The Affordable Care Act ensures that children can receive vaccinations, screenings and checkups. Along with the necessary treatment for children when they become ill, the regulation emphasizes preventive care.

Limitations

• The Affordable Care Act provision for covering children applies only to insurance companies that provide dependent coverage. The law does not require insurers to offer this type of coverage to consumers.