Where you live matters: PointCare Ranks 10 "Most & Least Generous" States/DC in Helping Families with Health Coverage for Children

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In the state of New York, a family of 4 can make up to $95,400 annually and still qualify its children for comprehensive health coverage, while families in Arizona must make less than $33,400 to qualify their children, according to a PointCare analysis of 2014 Medicaid data.

For uninsured low-income families with children ages 0-18, it's important to know the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) limit under which Medicaid and some state's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will cover their children. When a state has a higher FPL limit, more working families are afforded a greater opportunity to have their children covered. Other states may not be as "generous," having lower FPL limits for these programs. PointCare, a screening and enrollment software company that assists the uninsured in hospitals and health centers, has identified the top 10 most and least generous states as it relates to a family's annual income.

With a robust database of several thousand public and private programs, PointCare has helped more than a half-million Americans identify their health coverage eligibility.

Listed below is a breakdown of the Medicaid and CHIP FPL limits pulled from PointCare's health coverage database and the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services. A complete listing of all 50 states' plus District of Columbia rankings is available at PointCare.com/FPL-Rankings-Release. 

 Ten "Most Generous" States/DC for Covering Children Ages 0-18 under Medicaid & CHIP

Ten "Least Generous" States/DC for Covering Children Ages 0-18 under Medicaid & CHIP

*The separate poverty guidelines for Hawaii reflect Office of Economic Opportunity administrative practice beginning in the 1966-1970 period. **Arizona does not have a CHIP program and has three varying income levels for coverage eligibility: Ages 0-1 (147% FPL), Ages 1-5 (141% FPL), Ages 6-18 (133% FPL).

"Where you live really matters," concluded Everett Lebherz, Vice President of PointCare.  Noting that nearly 1 in 3 uninsured Americans qualify for Medicaid, Lebherz affirms that PointCare is planning to continue its efforts to assist providers nationwide with educating and engaging uninsured patients about their options beyond March 31st, when open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act Exchange plans closes. For an estimated 13-16 million Medicaid-eligible families and individuals, enrollment can take place year-round.  

PointCare provides a web-based, mobile-friendly health coverage screening, enrollment, and reporting tool, PointCarePA, for hospitals and clinics nationwide..

For more information about PointCarePA, please visit PointCare, email [email protected], or call 650-762-1928.  Follow PointCare on LinkedIn at  Linkedin.com/Company/PointCare or on Twitter at Twitter.com/point_care.                     

Media Contacts:
Marilyn Haese
Brenna Harrington
Haese & Wood
(310) 556-9612
[email protected]

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SOURCE PointCare