State Medical Help for Children in South Carolina

Approximately 8.5 million children in the United States do not have health insurance coverage. Individual states provide medical aid to uninsured children through programs specifically for them. In South Carolina, 16 percent of the population does not have health insurance and 15 percent could not get medical help if they need it. The children of these low-income families are especially vulnerable and often depend on state-funded programs for basic medical help.

Healthy Connections Plans

• Children under age 19 can apply for a Healthy Connections Plan under the Partners for Healthy Children program. This program grants children in families with income levels up to twice the federal poverty level or lower with access to medical services. In 2011, this represented a family of four with an income of $3,675 or less per month.

CommuniCare

• CommuniCare is a volunteer-based state-funded program. It provides health services to South Carolinians who don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare coverage. The program includes several plans aimed at children, such as a school-based dental program that offers treatment to children in rural areas with limited access to oral health services.

Children's Health Insurance Program

• Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, provides Medicare coverage to low-income families with at least one child under 18, or 19 if attending secondary school. Only families with $30,000 or less in countable resources are eligible for this type of medical help.

Medicaid

• Families with dependent children who qualify for cash assistance programs, such as Family Independence or Supplemental Security Income, will generally qualify for Medicaid coverage in South Carolina. Parents of children with Medicaid insurance coverage have the right to choose their own doctor or medical institution as long as the health provider is an enrollee in the South Carolina Medicaid program.