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Child Health Insurance California

California offers a wide variety of health insurance programs for children, provided through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and privately funded organizations. Insurance programs can pay costs related to doctor visits, emergency care, hospital services and outpatient care. Residents can find program eligibility and enrollment information through DHCS and local social services agencies. The majority of public and organizational insurance programs have specific income limits and residency requirements.

  1. Medi-Cal

    • Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, provides health insurance for low-income and disabled residents of California. Financed through federal and state funds and administered by DHCS, Medi-Cal can pay for clinic visits, pharmacy services, vision care, mental health services, long-term care and drug and alcohol treatment. Residents eligible for Medi-Cal include persons receiving Social Security benefits through SSI/SSP, blind persons, children in the Adoptive Assistance or Foster Care Programs, disabled persons, CalWORKs participants and children under the age of 21.

    Child Health and Disability Prevention Program

    • The Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (CHDP), administered by DHCS, offers preventive medicine and health assessment services for low-income kids. Health assessments can include hearing and vision tests, immunizations, dental assessments, physical examinations and nutritional appraisals. CHDP functions as a starting point for uninsured children and can assist with enrollment to more comprehensive health care programs, such as Medi-Cal. CHDP offers services for children under the age of 19. Residents can find CHDP programs at health department offices throughout California.

    CaliforniaKids Healthcare Foundation

    • The CaliforniaKids Healthcare Foundation, a private non-profit organization, offers preventive care and primary medical services for kids 2 to 18 years of age. Funded by community organizations, corporations and foundations, CaliforniaKids offers participants health care services at more than 1,000 medical providers and discount medications at 80 percent of California pharmacies. Participants pay $5 to $50 co-payments for services such as doctor visits, doctor-administered medications, laboratory services, hearing and vision tests, outpatient services, allergy testing and emergency care.

    California Children's Services

    • California Children's Services (CCS), administered by DHCS, offers health care services for children 21 years old and younger who have specific health conditions and diseases, including eye diseases, immune disorders, nervous system diseases and mental disorders, among many others. The program is open to low-income California residents who participate in Medi-Cal or Healthy Families health insurance programs.

    Children's Health Initiative

    • The Institute for Health Policy Solutions (IHPS), a non-profit organization, offers health care plans through its Children's Health Initiative (CHI) program. CHI's Healthy Kids and Healthy Families plans provide health care coverage in a number of counties in California, offering low-cost premiums and co-payments. For example, the Alameda County Healthy Kids program offers comprehensive coverage for medical, vision and dental services, with $10 premiums and $5 to $15 co-payments (as of October 2010). The Alameda plan provides coverage for children younger than 18 and covers such services as doctor visits, prescription drugs, emergency services and mental health services. The Healthy Kids program covers more than 80,000 California kids. Plans, premiums, services and co-payments can vary, depending on the county.

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