TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida KidCare will be covering monthly premium payments for children in counties designated by FEMA as eligible for individual assistance, which include several Big Bend counties, following Hurricane Michael.
Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Board of Directors has taken action to ensure kids living in the hardest hit areas do not lose their health insurance coverage following Hurricane Michael.
On Thursday, the board approved the use of corporate funds to pay the monthly premiums for children for November, December, and January in many parts of the Florida Panhandle.
Doing this provides financial relief for families and ensures that current Florida KidCare enrollees will have coverage through the end of January.
This step helps the families of 5,604 enrolled children living in the impacted areas.
Florida KidCare is covering monthly premium payments in the 12 counties designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as eligible for individual assistance, which include: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Leon, Liberty, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington.
The board also approved a renewal extension period until Feb. 1, 2019, for families living in those 12 counties whose regular annual renewal falls between Nov. 1, 2018, and Jan. 1, 2019.
This premium relief applies to the following Florida KidCare programs:
- MediKids: Subsidized and full-pay coverage for children ages 1 through 4.
- Florida Healthy Kids: Subsidized and full-pay coverage for children ages 5 through 18.
- Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan (CMS Plan): Subsidized coverage for children with special health care needs from birth through age 18.
The board’s action does not apply to Florida KidCare children enrolled in Medicaid because those children receive free coverage and do not pay a monthly premium.
For more information about Florida KidCare, visit www.floridakidcare.org, and for more information about the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, visit www.healthykids.org.
