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

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Kentucky program

Free coverage for an uninsured child (KCHIP)

Kentucky's higher-income Medicaid category for children under 19 who have no health insurance.

What it is

Kentucky's higher-income Medicaid category for children under 19 who have no health insurance.

KCHIP gives your child the same coverage as Medicaid. One kynect application checks both categories. Having insurance already changes which category the benefits office considers.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must live in Kentucky, be under 19 and have no health insurance. The income ceiling is 218% of poverty, including the five-point allowance.
  • An employer’s offer is different from enrollment. DCBS can check the offer and any state-employee-plan circumstances under the current KCHIP rule. This screen is not a reason to end existing coverage.
  • DCBS decides your child’s tax household and current monthly income. A yearly figure divided by 12 may miss a recent change.
  • KCHIP has no school-attendance requirement at age 18. Approved children generally receive 12 months of continuous coverage.
What you get
  • No premium, enrollment fee or child copays.
  • Cancer treatment and the same benefits as Medicaid.
Income examples
  • The chart effective April 1, 2026 lists monthly limits of $4,964 for three people, $5,995 for four and $7,027 for five. No fixed ending date is printed.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital financial counselor to help with the same kynect application used for Medicaid.
  2. Have current income, your child’s identification and any notice that earlier insurance ended ready.

KCHIP: 855-306-8959 · Official page ↗

After an application
  • One kynect application lets DCBS check ordinary Medicaid and KCHIP. The hospital counselor can check the selected plan against your child’s treatment team.
  • The dated Medicaid manual uses 30 days, while the regulation allows 45 days to approve, deny or request information. Missing documents can affect when the decision is completed.
Good to know

This category requires your child to have no insurance. Ordinary Medicaid has categories that can sit behind a work plan.

How this coverage works
  • KCHIP became part of Medicaid in August 2022. It is not a paid premium category.
  • The ordinary child Medicaid card explains earlier-bill coverage, billing protection and Medicaid appeals. Its different age and insurance categories do not make KCHIP available alongside existing insurance.

Federal background: CHIP.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“What are the benefits and drawbacks of KCHIP for our child, and could you help us decide whether to apply?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the free coverage options before making any insurance changes.

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 one application on kynect and state that the child has no insurance.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counsellor can file with you and check which category the office used.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Department for Community Based Services checks income and whether the child has other coverage.
Ask your social worker
“My child has no insurance. Can we file on kynect and ask the office to check the higher children's category too?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at kynect.ky.gov/benefits or call 855-306-8959. One application covers both this and ordinary Medicaid.

  1. File the one kynect application: it screens both Medicaid and this category.
  2. Say plainly that the child has no insurance today, because that is what this category turns on.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at kynect.ky.gov/benefits or call 855-306-8959. One application covers both categories; the office picks whichever the child fits.

What to gather

  • Child's birth certificate or identification and Social Security number
  • Kentucky address
  • This month's household income
  • Proof that other coverage has ended, if it just did

How long: The posted standard for a Medicaid application is 30 days.

What a yes looks like

A card and a Medicaid health plan choice, with twelve months of continuous coverage.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the reason is other coverage, ask about the ordinary Medicaid categories, which sit behind a plan. If the reason is income, ask about the spend-down.

Watch out

  • The undated page on the children's-health site prints lower figures than the dated April 2026 chart. Use the dated chart.
  • This category is for a child with no insurance. If your child is on a work plan, ask about the ordinary Medicaid categories instead.

Dates that change this

2022-08-01: Since August 2022 Kentucky's children's health insurance programme is run as part of Medicaid, not as a separate plan. The old separate-programme paperwork still sits on the state's website and describes rules that no longer apply to children.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Free full coverage for an uninsured child under 19 at or under $5,995 a month for four people, $4,964 for three, effective April 1, 2026.

  • $5,995/month — Household of 4, published monthly line (218% column, allowance included)
  • $4,964/month — Household of 3, published monthly line (218% column)
  • $7,027/month — Household of 5, published monthly line (218% column)
  • $0/month — Premium described on the state's own programme page
  • $12 — Continuous coverage once approved

Covers: The same benefits as Medicaid: hospital, chemotherapy, drugs, home nursing, rides, dental and vision

Legal protection: No premium and no enrolment fee on the state's published description · No waiting period after other coverage ends

What it costs the family: Free on the state's own description. No premium band and no enrolment fee is published.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
213% base, 218% with the five-point allowance (MS 2910, category CHEX)
Insurance status condition
the child must have no health insurance (MS 1070(A)(2)); whether an unaccepted employer offer is a bar was not established
Residency
Kentucky
Continuous eligibility
12 months

Decisions this site cannot make: Same kynect application as Medicaid; the office picks the category

Expect friction on: The child must have no other health insurance at the time

The trap: The undated eligibility page on the state's children's-health site still prints lower dollar figures than the dated April 2026 chart. The dated chart is the one the office uses. Also: nothing found says an offer of employer insurance is a bar, only actually having coverage; that distinction was not settled in writing, so ask.

Where I read this

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