Pennsylvania has a particularly robust Medicaid program and does not have an income limit for CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), said Kari King, CEO of Pennsylvania Partnership for Children, a children’s health advocacy organization.
The program is a valuable option for families who earn too much for Medicaid and feel unable to afford private insurance to ensure that at least their children are covered, she said. The amount families pay for CHIP coverage varies depending on income, with higher-earning families paying more.
Medicaid enrollment has soared during the pandemic, as people who lost jobs became newly eligible for coverage.
“With the pandemic, Medicaid in particular has really stepped in to be that point of coverage as people lost their employment … to be part of how families weather the storm,” said King.