For the past several years, the Office of Health Ministries has actively worked in several advocacy areas. Prominent among them is the distribution of packets designed to enroll children in the CHIP or Children's Health Insurance program.

Enacted by the U.S. Congress in August 1997, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is designed primarily to help children in working families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private family coverage. All states and the District of Columbia offer health coverage through CHIP and Medicaid. If you would like to receive a packet, contact the office to request that one be sent to you.

Currently, there are more than 9 million children in the United States without health care coverage, 5.8 million of whom are eligible for either CHIP or Medicaid. Close to 90 percent of these uninsured children have at least one parent who works, but for many of these families, affordable health coverage is not offered through their employer.

Each state can set its own income eligibility level. Most states have set the maximum eligibility level at 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), which means that children under age 19 in a family of four with income up to $36,200 a year may qualify. Federal poverty guidelines for 2002 have been released. Find out if you child(ren) qualifies for free or low-cost health insurance.

What do children receive once they are enrolled?

Although benefits vary from state to state, children generally are eligible for the following services:

• regular checkups
• immunizations
• eyeglasses
• doctor visits
• prescription drug coverage
• hospital care

Learn more about CHIP at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Web site.