Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Delaware program

Child coverage above the Medicaid limit (Delaware Healthy Children Program)

Delaware’s health insurance for an uninsured child whose family earns too much for Medicaid.

What it is

Delaware’s health insurance for an uninsured child whose family earns too much for Medicaid.

The Delaware Healthy Children Program uses the same application as Medicaid. It covers children under 19 who meet its income rules and do not have comprehensive insurance. The state decides which coverage route fits.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must be under 19 and meet Delaware’s residency and insurance rules. The published income base is 212% of poverty; the state applies the MAGI rules, including the five-percentage-point disregard when applicable.
  • Income must be under about $3,823 a month for two people, $4,827 for three, $5,830 for four, $6,833 for five (2026).
  • Children of permanent State of Delaware employees are excluded. Seasonal, casual and temporary state employment is different.
  • The state-employee exclusion does not automatically cover county, city or other municipal plans.
What you get
  • No monthly premium for full child health coverage.
  • Twelve months of continuous coverage after approval.
What the help includes
  • There has been no monthly premium since January 2024. There is no CHIP waiting period.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the social worker whether Healthy Children fits your child’s insurance situation.
  2. Have proof of residence, current income, your child’s Social Security number and any insurance card ready.

Delaware Healthy Children Program and ASSIST · 1-800-996-9969 · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • Your approval notice gives the start date and health-plan choices. The hospital can check the cancer team against those choices.
Good to know

This program does not cover bills from before coverage starts. Comprehensive insurance usually blocks this route; limited insurance may not.

Other details
  • Earlier bills need a separate conversation about Medicaid’s look-back or hospital financial assistance.
  • Dropping work coverage changes access and costs; the financial counselor can compare those consequences first.

Federal background: Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would Healthy Children fit our child’s insurance situation? What are the benefits and drawbacks, and could you help us apply if it is the right route?”

Why I’m asking: I want child coverage we can afford and a separate answer about any earlier bills.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply on ASSIST and say your child has no coverage. Do not drop a work plan first without asking the social worker.

Your social worker

The social worker checks whether the Medicaid look-back covers the bills already on the table, because this programme does not reach backwards.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, on the same application as Medicaid.
Ask your social worker
“Our child has no insurance. Can we be screened for the Delaware Healthy Children Program on the same application, and what covers the bills from before?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at assist.dhss.delaware.gov, or call 1-800-996-9969 for a paper form.

  1. File the ASSIST application; one form is screened for Medicaid first and this second.
  2. Pick a health plan the oncology group takes.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same ASSIST application as Medicaid, or call the programme for a paper form.

What to gather

  • Proof of Delaware residence
  • This month’s household income
  • Your child’s Social Security number
  • Any current insurance card

How long: The approval notice gives the start date. The exact start rule was not published in the research.

What a yes looks like

A notice with a start date and a health plan to choose. Twelve months of continuous coverage follows.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Usually income, or coverage the child already holds. Ask which, and ask to be screened for the disability route in the same application.

Watch out

  • Coverage does not reach backwards. Bills already sitting on the table need the Medicaid look-back or the hospital’s own assistance.
  • A child already enrolled in comprehensive insurance cannot be enrolled here; a child with more limited coverage may still be able to.
  • Children of permanent State of Delaware employees are excluded. County, city and other municipal plans are not part of that exclusion.

Dates that change this

2026-01-01: The same state page prints $3,822 for a household of two in its main table and $3,824 in the programme table. The lower figure is used here; ask the state which controls if your income sits between them.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Full child coverage with no monthly premium, up to $3,822 a month for two, $4,827 for three, $5,830 for four, $6,833 for five and $7,838 for six.

  • $3,822/month — Income line, household of 2
  • $4,827/month — Income line, household of 3
  • $5,830/month — Income line, household of 4
  • $6,833/month — Income line, household of 5
  • $7,838/month — Income line, household of 6
  • $0/month — Monthly premium
  • $12 — Continuous coverage once approved

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · Specialist care through one of three health plans · Dental and vision

What it costs the family: No monthly premium since January 1, 2024. Whether a separate enrolment fee exists was not found.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
The published base is 212% of poverty. Delaware applies its household and income rules and the five-percentage-point disregard when applicable; the base is not a final eligibility ceiling.
Insurance status condition
the child must not hold comprehensive health insurance; more limited coverage may not bar enrolment
Excluded
children of permanent State of Delaware employees; children of seasonal, casual or temporary state employees are not excluded. The exclusion does not reach separately run county, city or other municipal plans.
Waiting period
none; federal rules bar a CHIP waiting period and the February 2024 CMS table already showed Delaware with none
Retroactive months
none: the manual says retroactive coverage is not available under this programme
Continuous eligibility
12 months

Decisions this site cannot make: Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance determination on the same ASSIST application as Medicaid

Expect friction on: A child already enrolled in comprehensive insurance cannot be enrolled, so a family cannot hold both

The trap: Coverage does not reach backwards. The manual says retroactive coverage is not available under this programme, so the bills already on the table need the Medicaid look-back or the hospital instead.

Where I read this

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