The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covers uninsured children and teens up to age 19 – and no family earns too much to qualify. With nearly 128,000 uninsured children in Pennsylvania, there are a lot of reasons kids might not have health insurance — maybe their parents lost a job, don't have health insurance at work, or maybe other options just cost too much. Whatever the reason, CHIP may be able to help.
CHIP provides quality, comprehensive health insurance for routine doctor’s visits, prescriptions, dental, eye care, eyeglasses, mental health, and much more. CHIP covers uninsured kids who are not eligible for Medical Assistance. For many families, CHIP is free; for others, it is low cost.
Nine out of 10 CHIP parents report satisfaction with their child's health plan, and 96 percent received an appointment for checkups and vaccinations as soon as they wanted.
You can apply for CHIP online (www.compass.dhs.pa.gov) or by phone (1-800-986-KIDS (5437). You will need to have the following information ready:
Income amounts for your entire household before taxes: This includes income from employment and all other forms of income (for example: social security, pension, workers' compensation, unemployment, child support, etc.)
Social Security Numbers and birthdates for all applicants
Day care expenses for your household (if any)
Work transportation expenses for your household (if any)
Private health insurance information (if you have or had private health insurance in the last 90 days)