Healthy Connections Kids

South Carolina Healthy Connections Kids


Healthy Connections Kids is a health insurance program for uninsured children. Your children would be in a health plan and they would have their own doctor. The doctor would get to know them and their health care needs.

These are children who live in families with certain income limits. In South Carolina, this group is a mixture of mandatory and optional coverage and a separate State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).The mandatory group is children between the ages of 1 and 6 whose family’s monthly income is at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level and children older than age 6 that were born on or after September 1983 whose family’s monthly income is at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. Countable resources must be at or below $30,000 per Budget Group.

The optional group is children ages 1 to 19 whose family’s monthly income is over the level of the mandatory groups but at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level. Countable resources must be at or below $30,000 per Budget Group.

Healthy Connections Kids, a separate SCHIP coverage group, is for uninsured children up to age 19 with family income greater than 150% but less than or equal to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Countable resources must be at or below $30,000 per Budget Group. Healthy Connections Kids provides a special benefits package administered by a Managed Care Organization. The coverage is based on the health insurance plan offered to South Carolina State employees, with the addition of vision and dental benefits.

Benefits

Children in Healthy Connections Kids have these benefits:

  • Their own doctor
  • Doctor visits
  • Health checkups
  • Hospital visits
  • Dental care
  • Prescription drug coverage
  • Immunizations
  • Vision care and eye glasses
  • Lab work and X-rays
  • Chiropractic services
  • Behavioral health services

Who can get coverage?

Children can get coverage if all of these items are true:

  • The children are under 19 years of age, are U.S. citizens, and are residents of South Carolina.
  • Each child has a Social Security card or the family agrees to apply for the cards.
  • The family income is less than 200% of the federal poverty level.
  • The family’s countable resources (such as cash and money in bank accounts) total $30,000 or less.
  • The children cannot be covered by any other health insurance. Also, they cannot have had health insurance in the last three months – unless that insurance was cancelled for a reason that was not the family’s choice.
  • Parents and legal guardians are not employed by the State of South Carolina.

You and the federal poverty level

The federal poverty level is based on your family income and the number of people in your family. Look at the chart below. Find the number of people in your family, then look at the income levels for a family of your size. If your income is the same or less than the amount on the chart, your children may be eligible for coverage.

Choosing a health plan

A health plan is a way for you to get Medicaid services. When you are in a health plan, you will have your own doctor (or clinic).

Your health plan will make sure you can see the right doctor when you need to. All plans provide the same medical services as Medicaid. The plans also offer extra services, such as diabetes or asthma management programs.

Choose a plan that is best for you

There are many health plans in South Carolina Healthy Connections Choices. Each person in your household who is in Medicaid, or eligible for Medicaid, can enroll in a health plan to get Medicaid services.

Are you ready to enroll in a plan?

To enroll, you will need your Medicaid ID. When you enroll, you will choose a plan for each person you are enrolling (such as yourself and your children). You also may choose a doctor (or clinic) for each person.

Four ways to enroll:

  • Phone: To enroll by phone, call 1-877-552-4642.
  • Mail or fax: To enroll by mail, watch for your packet in the mail. Open it, Read it, Respond to it!
  • Internet: Enroll on this website. Start at Log in.
  • In person: Go to a community meeting, where a trained enrollment counselor can help you enroll. Some enrollment counselors speak Spanish. Find a community meeting.