Lack of Comparability Between CHIP and ACA Qualified Health Plans
by The National Alliance To Advance Adolescent Health
If the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is not reauthorized in 2015, low income children and adolescents will have to seek health coverage in the health insurance exchange. A new fact sheet from The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health compares the benefits and cost-sharing requirements in separate CHIP plans and child-only qualified health plans sold in the insurance exchange in Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia. Findings show that qualified health plans are not comparable to CHIP plans in these five states, despite the availability of premium credits, cost-sharing subsidies, and benefit requirements under the Affordable Care Act. Study results show that:
CHIP coverage is much more affordable and provides a broader set of benefits important to children and adolescents than subsidized child-only plans sold in state and federal exchanges.
Much higher premiums and other cost sharing requirements can be seen across all income groups, but is especially pronounced for children with family incomes above 200% FPL.
CHIP plans provide more generous benefits, especially for services important to children with special health care needs such as ancillary therapies, home- and community-based care, private duty nursing, hearing aids, and cochlear implants.
Read the Fact Sheet and visit the website at The National Alliance To Advance Adolescent Health
