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

TALLAHASSEE – Although the holidays are a time of joy and festivities, for many, it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year, affecting everything from budgets to health. Because the season is a time when a single setback can be costly to your financial and physical well-being, the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation and Service Contract Industry Council are teaming up to provide tips to safeguard both.

In order to encourage families to take the right steps ahead of time to prevent small challenges from becoming big problems, the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation and the Service Contract Industry Council offer these ideas to reduce the holiday stresses on your wallet and health:

• Plan Ahead - Waiting until the last minute to book travel arrangements – especially flights – can cause travel to be unnecessarily expensive. Booking within seven days or less of departure can increase your ticket price by hundreds of dollars.
• Buy with a Budget - Make a gift-buying budget and stick to it. Impulse buying can lead to extreme debt, which could ruin your new year. The U.S. News and World Report offers seven ideas to help simplify budgeting.
• Cover Your Kids - Spending less on unexpected health bills means more peace of mind for everyone! Without health insurance for your kids, a single accident could become an expensive holiday nightmare. Florida KidCare offers affordable, comprehensive options – for as little as $15 or $20 a month – or even nothing at all. The health of your most precious gifts should always be at the top of your wish list!
• Fight Fraud - Scams are common during the holidays. Before making any monthly credit card payments, make sure the itemized billing is correct. If anything looks unusual, call your credit card company immediately. Here are seven tips to prevent chip credit card fraud.
• Protect Your Purchase - When buying iPads, laptops, TVs, or similar gifts, look into getting a service contract in case of accidental damage. Some of the best Black Friday sales are on electronics, but don’t let a great deal go bad. More information about service contracts (often called extended warranties) is available at www.go-scic.com.

About the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation
Florida Healthy Kids offers comprehensive, affordable, child-centered health insurance for children ages 5 through 18 who are not eligible for Medicaid, and is part of the Florida KidCare program. Florida Healthy Kids coverage – available through both subsidized and full-pay options – includes immunizations, doctor visits, dental care, emergency care, hospital stays and more. Coverage through Florida Healthy Kids can be purchased for as little as $15 or $20 a month and can be applied for year-round at www.healthykids.org.

About Florida KidCare
Florida KidCare provides health care coverage to Florida children from birth through the end of age 18 through four programs: MediKids, Florida Healthy Kids, Children’s Medical Services and Medicaid. Many families enrolled in Florida KidCare pay just $15 or $20 per month, but most pay nothing at all. Monthly premiums depend on household size and income. Families that don’t qualify for subsidized coverage can pursue the full-pay option. Benefits of Florida KidCare include doctor visits, check-ups, immunizations, emergencies, surgeries, prescriptions, dental coverage and more. Health and dental coverage is available year-round at www.floridakidcare.org. Effective July 1, 2016, the Florida Legislature further expanded access to Florida KidCare for lawfully residing immigrant children – eliminating a previous five-year waiting period.

About the Service Contract Industry Council
The Service Contract Industry Council is a national trade association whose member companies collectively offer approximately 80 percent of the service contracts sold in the U.S. for home, auto and consumer goods. The SCIC educates consumers about service contracts, encourages its members to pursue high standards of customer satisfaction, and has developed and promoted model legislation to regulate the industry with standards designed to protect the consumer and the industry. Learn more at www.Go-SCIC.com.