Health Insurance for Kids in 2011

By Amir M., eHealth

Buying health insurance on your own to cover a child got a little more complicated this year.

So-called "child-only" plans are privately-purchased individual health insurance plans made available to children age 18 and under with no parent or guardian listed on the same policy. The federal health reform law now prevents insurers from declining health insurance applications for children due to pre existing medical conditions. However, the implementation of the law differs from state to state. That's where the complications come in. 

In some states, insurers offering individual health coverage to adults are required to also offer individual health coverage to children. Separately, certain states have created ‘open enrollment’ periods for child-only plans – specific annual or biannual enrollment windows when applicants can enroll children in individual health insurance plans without danger of being declined due to their medical history.

Over the course of 2011 we’ll revisit this issue periodically, but we’d like to officially kick off our coverage with a summary chart outlining our best knowledge to date on state by state special enrollment periods, and with a list of links to blog posts and other resources that you might find helpful.  We’ll update the chart and links periodically as more information becomes available. Read full story...

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