More West Virginia Children Could Get Health Insurance

More West Virginia Children Could Get Health Insurance in Individual Health Insurance

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in West Virginia is making small but steady expansion steps to cover more children.

Not long ago, the West Virginia’s SCHIP program offered coverage for children living in families who earned up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Then the children’s insurance program got approval from the federal government to bump that income cap to 220 percent.

Now, they want to up it even more.

Yesterday, the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance Board approved a new plan that would raise the income eligibility limit to 250 percent of the poverty level, reported the Associated Press and the Charleston Daily Mail.

In dollars, a family of four earning 250 percent of the poverty level annually is around $53,000.

If the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) gives the go-ahead to the plan, an estimated 700 more children would get coverage through SCHIP in the next four years.

Not a ground-breaking increase, but still very significant for the 700 children who get health insurance.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin supports the plan and will urge the CMS to approve the plan.

“This is about making health care available to more West Virginia children who otherwise might fall through the cracks, and doing so within our financial ability,” said Governor Manchin.

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