All Kids Insurance Alabama

With all discussions, debates and controversies surrounding the national debate on health in Washington, I thought it would be desirable to bring to the attention of my constituents that taxpayers are Alabama to assist in obtaining Alabama recognizing leadership in health care for children.
The Legislature of Alabama in the 2009 session voted to expand its program of child health insurance by taking an additional 14,000 children in the state program that is called for all children. With 14,000 additional children enrolled now, we have a combined number of over 69,000 children who received health insurance, which previously they were totally. Alabama has been a leader in this effort for many years that we were the first state in the nation to offer the Children's Health Insurance Program.

At present, the All Kids program serves families at 200 percent of federal poverty level. Our expansion now covers a family of four at 300 percent of federal poverty level, which is a gross income limit of $ 66,156. This program is directly help the many children of working families in Alabama and its benefits are very useful in these days of a struggling economy. All children's programs to help families whose income is too high to be eligible for certain federal assistance programs, but too low to afford basic health insurance. Many workers in Alabama work for companies that do not provide health insurance, therefore, their children even without insurance
coverage.

With the program for all children, children under 19 are offered regular checkups, doctor visits, prescriptions, dental and vision care, hospital and medical services. The costs are low with small co-pays, no co-pays for preventive services. No child can be denied because of pre-existing conditions.

The All Kids program is not free. Parents who enter the program because of the expansion will pay $ 100 per year per child, with a maximum of $ 300 per family with children.

It was hard to find money to fund this expansion, but I believe in hard economic times Leadership involves setting priorities and funding priorities. It is in difficult times that we learn what is really important, and help children of working families is the right thing to do - the right thing to do for these families, the right thing to do Alabama and the right thing to do for our quality of life. A match of $ 7 million state $ 24 million in federal funds will pay for expansion.

This funding to expand all children started this past October 1st. Parents who meet the income criteria for all children and want to enroll their children in the program may apply to the Alabama Department of Public Health