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

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Louisiana program

Children’s insurance with a household premium (LaCHIP Affordable Plan)

The LaCHIP Affordable Plan covers uninsured children above the free LaCHIP income limit.

What it is

The LaCHIP Affordable Plan covers uninsured children above the free LaCHIP income limit.

The Affordable Plan offers another coverage option above the free LaCHIP band. The posted rule charges one $50 monthly family premium. The worker can explain the start date and any other costs before you decide.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must be under 19 and uninsured.
  • The chart effective March 1, 2026 lists monthly limits of $4,599 for two people, $5,806 for three, $7,013 for four, $8,220 for five and $9,427 for six. The worker confirms the current category and income table.
  • Your child must meet the plan’s uninsured requirement. The worker should separately check access to a state employee plan, including coverage available as a dependent even when you have not enrolled. An ordinary employer offer should not be treated as the same question.
  • The income figures above took effect March 1, 2026. A later income-table update can change the screening amount.
What you get
  • The posted rule sets one $50 monthly premium for the family.
  • Children’s covered services, with other costs and the start date confirmed on the approval notice.
What the help covers
  • One $50 premium a month covers all the children in the family, and a year’s premiums cannot exceed 5% of family income. Once approved, children keep coverage for 12 months, so a missed payment does not end it straight away; ask the worker what happens.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the Medicaid worker to check the Affordable Plan through the shared children’s application.
  2. Have your child’s identification, current income and insurance information ready.
  3. Ask the worker to explain the premium invoice and first coverage date.

Louisiana Department of Health, Medicaid eligibility; premiums are collected separately: 1-888-342-6207 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • The approval notice identifies the Affordable Plan and the premium due. The written start date shows which future care is covered.
Good to know

The Affordable Plan has different start-date rules from ordinary Medicaid. The worker can confirm the first covered date and payment arrangements.

Other details
  • The same covered services do not guarantee the same specialist network. The hospital can check the oncology team before a coverage change.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“What would the Affordable Plan cost us, and would it cover my child’s cancer team? Could you explain the tradeoffs and help with the application if it is the best fit?”

Why I’m asking: I want to compare the household premium and coverage start date with the bills we may face.

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

The approval and premium notices identify the first covered date, amount due and payment deadline. The worker confirms activation and whether earlier bills qualify under another coverage category before the family relies on coverage.

Your social worker

The hospital financial counsellor can chase which band the child landed in.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Louisiana Medicaid decides the band; the premium office decides when membership switches on.
Ask the agency
“Which band is my child in, what is the monthly premium for the household, and what is the first date this plan covers?”

How to apply

First step: File the one Medicaid application, then ask the worker in writing which band your child is in and what the premium is.

  1. Ask the worker in writing which band your child is in and what the premium is.
  2. Ask when coverage actually starts, because this band does not reach backwards.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same Medicaid application. Ask which band the child landed in, then ask what the premium is and when the first payment is due.

What to gather

  • Your child's identification and Social Security number
  • This month's household income
  • Proof the child has no insurance now

How long: The ordinary Medicaid decision clock, then a start date in the month after the file is complete.

What a yes looks like

An approval naming the category, family premium, invoice and first covered date.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the answer is income, ask about Act 421, which leaves parents' income out, and about the hospital's own assistance.

Watch out

  • This band has no backward cover and starts the month after the file is complete, so it does not fix bills already on the table.
  • The approval and premium notices identify the first covered date, amount due and payment deadline. The worker confirms activation and whether earlier bills qualify under another coverage category before the family relies on coverage.
  • Access to a state-employee health plan requires a separate eligibility check. The worker confirms the current rule; a declined ordinary employer offer is different from current coverage.

Dates that change this

2026-09-10: The posted LAP rule, amended July 1, 2015, sets one $50 monthly family premium and a premium limit of 5% of annual family income. The worker confirms exemptions, other costs, the invoice and the first covered date. Newer child continuous-eligibility protections limit termination for premium nonpayment. (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

Children's coverage up to $7,013 a month for four and $5,806 for three, for one household premium a month.

  • $7,013/month — Household of 4, Affordable Plan line (255% of poverty, allowance included)
  • $5,806/month — Household of 3, Affordable Plan line
  • $4,599/month — Household of 2, Affordable Plan line
  • $8,220/month — Household of 5, Affordable Plan line
  • $9,427/month — Household of 6, Affordable Plan line

Covers: Every service LaCHIP covers, according to the state programme page

What it costs the family: The posted LAP rule, amended July 1, 2015, sets one $50 monthly family premium and a premium limit of 5% of annual family income. The worker confirms exemptions, other costs, the invoice and the first covered date. Newer child continuous-eligibility protections limit termination for premium nonpayment.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
at or below 255% FPIG, stated on the chart as 250% plus 5%
Insurance status condition
the child must be uninsured
State employee bar
Access to a state-employee health plan requires a separate eligibility check. The worker confirms the current rule; a declined ordinary employer offer is different from current coverage.
Retroactive months
none; coverage starts no earlier than the month after the file is complete, and activates after the first payment

The trap: The approval and premium notices identify the first covered date, amount due and payment deadline. The worker confirms activation and whether earlier bills qualify under another coverage category before the family relies on coverage.

Where I read this

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