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

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Iowa program

Low-cost health insurance for your child (Hawki)

Hawki is Iowa’s low-cost child health insurance above the ordinary Medicaid income line.

What it is

Hawki is Iowa’s low-cost child health insurance above the ordinary Medicaid income line.

Hawki offers full child health coverage above the ordinary Medicaid income line. Iowa checks Medicaid first on the same application. The premium depends on household income.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must live in Iowa and be under 19. The income ceiling is 302% of poverty.
  • For April 2026 to March 2027, a four-person family pays no premium through $59,730 yearly, $10 per child through $80,190, and $20 per child through $99,660.
  • A child who is enrolled in other health insurance cannot join Hawki; an offer you did not take does not count. A state employee's child has a stricter rule; ask HHS.
What you get
  • Coverage costs $0, $10 or $20 a child each month.
  • Family premiums stop at $20 in the middle band and $40 in the top band.
  • Approved children receive 12 months of enrollment.
What the help includes
  • Hawki is separate from Medicaid. Medicaid rides and Iowa Care for Kids do not extend to Hawki members.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital’s financial counselor to help with the Iowa HHS application and check Hawki if Medicaid income is too high.
  2. Have current income and your child’s insurance details ready. Ask which Hawki plans your cancer team accepts.

Iowa HHS Hawki: 800-257-8563 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The decision identifies the coverage start date and premium band. Earlier bills need a separate conversation with the hospital’s financial counselor.
  • The Hawki plans are Iowa Total Care, Molina and Wellpoint; ask the counselor which of them your cancer team accepts.
Good to know

Hawki medical coverage generally starts the month after application and does not pay earlier bills. The notice gives the actual date. Other medical insurance generally bars the medical program; dental-only coverage has separate rules.

Other details
  • The plan’s network matters for the hospital, oncology group and pharmacy. A premium alone does not establish that all planned care is covered.

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

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If Hawki fits our child, what would it cost and what care would it cover? Could you help us compare its benefits and limits, including earlier bills, before we decide about applying?”

Why I’m asking: I want affordable coverage without losing access to the treatment team.

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

File the one application, say the child has no other insurance, and pick a plan the oncology group takes.

Your social worker

The hospital’s financial counselor can review whether its assistance policy helps with earlier bills; a Hawki application does not itself guarantee that assistance.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Iowa Health and Human Services decides the income. The Hawki health plan you pick runs the coverage.
Ask your social worker
“If we are above the Medicaid line, can the same application be decided for Hawki? Which Hawki plan do the hospital and the oncology group take, and what covers the bills from before it starts?”

How to apply

First step: File the one Iowa application at hhsservices.iowa.gov. The office checks Medicaid first and Hawki after. Questions: 800-257-8563.

  1. File one application; the office checks Medicaid first and Hawki after.
  2. Ask which Hawki health plan the hospital and the oncology group take.
  3. Ask the hospital about its own financial help for the bills before coverage starts.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same application as Iowa Medicaid: the office checks Medicaid first and moves the child to Hawki if the income is above the Medicaid line.

What to gather

  • Child's Social Security number and Iowa address
  • This month's income for the tax household
  • Proof that the child has no other health insurance

How long: The same 45-day standard as Medicaid. Cover starts the first day of the following month.

What a yes looks like

A notice naming the band you are in, the monthly premium if any, and a choice of Hawki plan.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Usually other insurance in force, or income above the top band. Ask whether dropping to the Medicaid line is possible if pay has fallen, and appeal by the date on the notice.

Watch out

  • Other medical insurance generally bars Hawki medical coverage. An ordinary employer offer alone does not; state-employee dependent eligibility and dental-only Hawki have separate rules.
  • Hawki starts the month after you apply. It does not pay old bills, so ask the hospital about its own help for those.
  • Hawki is not Medicaid: no Medicaid rides, and Iowa Care for Kids does not reach Hawki children.
  • No full-price version above the top band was found.

Dates that change this

2026-04-01: As reviewed September 17, 2026, Iowa HHS lists Iowa Total Care, Molina and Wellpoint for Hawki medical coverage and Delta Dental and DentaQuest for dental coverage. The enrollment notice and plan confirm the child’s choices, network and start date. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Free for four people up to $59,730 a year; $10 a child (up to $20 a family) to $80,190; $20 a child (up to $40) to $99,660.

  • $59,730/year — Family of 4, top of the free band, published annual cell
  • $80,190/year — Family of 4, top of the $10-a-child band, published annual cell
  • $99,660/year — Family of 4, top of Hawki, published annual cell
  • $10/month — Monthly premium per child, middle band
  • $20/month — Monthly family cap, middle band
  • $20/month — Monthly premium per child, top band
  • $40/month — Monthly family cap, top band
  • $12 — Months of enrolment once approved

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · Dental cover through the Hawki dental plan

Legal protection: Twelve months of enrolment once approved, subject to the rule's cancellation exceptions

What it costs the family: Nothing in the free band; otherwise $10 or $20 a child a month with a family cap.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
to 302% of the poverty level; published annual bands for households 2 to 6
Insurance status condition
Other health-plan enrollment generally bars Hawki medical coverage; an ordinary employer offer alone does not. State-employee dependent eligibility has a separate exclusion and nominal-contribution exception. Hawki dental-only coverage has different other-insurance rules.
Residency
Iowa
Continuous eligibility
12 months
Start of coverage
the first day of the month after the application; not retroactive

Decisions this site cannot make: Iowa HHS income determination on the benefits portal

Expect friction on: Choosing among the Hawki health plans · Coverage starts the following month, not back-dated

The trap: Hawki does not include Medicaid rides or Iowa Care for Kids. Medicaid’s under-21 treatment protection covers medically necessary services within federal benefit categories, subject to coverage and review rules. Hawki medical coverage generally starts the month after application and does not cover earlier bills.

Where I read this

← Back to your options