For nearly two decades the Children’s Health Insurance Program, CHIP, has served as a lifeline to millions of Florida’s families. Children in working families have come to rely on CHIP for access to the quality health care that is crucial during those development years. Since its enactment in 1997, CHIP has helped reduce the US rate of uninsured children from 14% to 7% and from 17% to 11% in Florida.
CHIP has been an essential source of coverage for Floridians, ensuring access to high-quality, affordable, pediatric-appropriate health care for children in working families whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to purchase private health insurance
In Florida, CHIP provides low-cost coverage to children in low-income families (i.e., with incomes up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level: $20,090 for a family of 3). CHIP is more commonly known by the names of its individual components, including:
- Florida Healthy Kids, which covers school-age children
- MediKids, which covers children below school age, and
- Children’s Medical Services, which serves children with special health needs (and family incomes above the Medicaid limit)
Currently, approximately 250,000 Florida children have their coverage through CHIP.
CHIP Eligibility in Florida (% of federal poverty level)
Related links: About CHIP / Florida Medicaid & CHIP design
Related links: CHIP’s Impact on Florida’s Children
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