Healthy Kids Press Contact
Ashley Carr, Chief Marketing Officer,
(850) 701-6160, [email protected].

Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Launches Outreach Campaign

TALLAHASSEE – Starting July 1, 2016 immigrant children who are lawfully residing in Florida will be able to obtain health insurance coverage. The Florida Legislature exercised the state option to eliminate the five-year Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) waiting period for lawfully present children who would otherwise qualify based on their family income and Florida residency. Prior to this legislation, most non-citizen children living in Florida had to be lawfully in the United States at least five years before they qualified for subsidized health insurance through the Florida KidCare program. Once the new law goes into effect, there will no longer be a waiting period for these children.

Children who previously applied and were denied Florida KidCare coverage because of the five-year waiting period can reapply beginning July 1, 2016 by calling 1-888-540-KIDS (5437).

Also starting July 1, 2016, children who are currently enrolled in the full-pay program and were subject to the five-year waiting period will be automatically transferred into subsidized Healthy Kids, MediKids, or Children’s Medical Services (CMS) coverage, depending on which program they are currently eligible for, based on their age and clinical eligibility.

If a child was previously denied because of the five-year rule and is currently enrolled in a health plan through www.healthcare.gov, their families can begin to transfer to Florida KidCare by updating their information with the federal marketplace or waiting until their coverage renews during the next federal marketplace open enrollment that begins on November 1, 2016.

For those children currently enrolled through an employer based or other private coverage, parents can apply at any time. However, Florida KidCare coverage will not begin until the other coverage has ended.

Throughout the month of July, Florida Healthy Kids will be conducting a public awareness campaign throughout Florida to inform families about the new legislation and encouraging them to enroll eligible children in KidCare now that the five-year waiting period has been waived.

“Healthy Kids is looking forward to educating Florida families about the enactment of this important new law, which will enable many more children to be eligible for health insurance through the KidCare program,” stated Rebecca Matthews, Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation. “Insurance coverage through KidCare provides child-centered coverage, including comprehensive medical, dental and preventative services that children need at each stage of their growth and development, as well as broad access to pediatric services, specialists, dentists, clinics and hospitals.”

For more information regarding the new legislation or to find out if a child is eligible for KidCare, please visit www.healthykids.org,www.floridakidcare.org or call 1-888-540-5437.