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

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Nevada program

Low-cost state insurance for your child (Nevada Check Up)

Nevada Check Up is low-cost health insurance for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid.

What it is

Nevada Check Up is low-cost health insurance for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid.

The same Access Nevada application checks Medicaid and Nevada Check Up. Income, age and existing insurance decide which route fits. The premium covers the family, rather than each child.

Eligibility rules
  • Income bands are 166%–205% of poverty under age six and 139%–205% at ages 6–18.
  • The April 2026 annual upper limit is $56,006 for three people, $67,650 for four and $79,294 for five.
  • Your child must be uninsured at application and annual renewal. Insurance gained during the 12-month coverage year does not end that year.
What you get
  • $25, $50 or $80 each quarter for the whole family.
  • Child health coverage, including rides when the trip rules are met.
What the help includes
  • There is no waiting period after other insurance ends.
  • The quarterly premium is for the family: $25 in the lowest premium band, $50 at 151–175% of poverty, and $80 at 176% and above. Qualifying American Indian and Alaska Native children are exempt. Check Up has no ordinary service copays, deductibles or coinsurance. The state determines the exact premium band; unpaid premiums can affect renewal but do not end the protected 12-month period early.
  • The approved premium schedule is $25 per family each quarter through 150% of poverty, $50 at 151–175%, and $80 from 176%. Medicaid is considered first, so not every age group begins in the $25 band. Total cost sharing is limited to 5% of family income. The 12-month protection against termination for nonpayment took effect January 1, 2024; limited continuous-eligibility exceptions still apply.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the financial counselor to check Nevada Check Up on the same Access Nevada application.
  2. Have your current income and your child’s insurance history ready.

Access Nevada; Welfare and Supportive Services: 800-992-0900 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The application decision standard is 45 days. Approval does not backdate coverage.
  • Nevada Check Up usually starts on the first day of the month after approval. Approval after the state’s late-month processing cutoff can mean the first day of the following month instead. The approval notice gives the actual start date; Check Up does not cover earlier bills.
Good to know

Coverage usually starts the month after approval, but late-month processing can delay it another month. The notice gives the actual date. Earlier bills are not covered by Check Up.

Other details
  • Changing insurance involves a separate check of the new start date, oncology network and covered medicines.

Federal background: Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If Medicaid does not fit, could Nevada Check Up cover my child? What would our quarterly premium be, what would we lose or gain, and could you help us decide?”

Why I’m asking: I want affordable child coverage and need to understand any gap before it starts.

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 once on Access Nevada and say your child has no other insurance right now.

Your social worker

The oncology social worker can ask the office to run the Nevada Check Up check on the same application.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, on the same application as Medicaid.
Ask your social worker
“If we are over the Medicaid line, can the same application be checked for Nevada Check Up, and which premium band would we be in?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at accessnevada.nv.gov. The same application is checked for Medicaid first and then for Nevada Check Up.

  1. Apply once on Access Nevada: the same application is checked for Medicaid and then for Nevada Check Up.
  2. Ask which premium band your family is in before the first quarterly bill.
  3. The social worker can help review transport eligibility and booking for treatment trips.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same Access Nevada application as Medicaid. If Medicaid says no because of income, ask the office to check Nevada Check Up on the same application.

What to gather

  • Child's identity document and Social Security number
  • A Nevada address
  • This month's income for the tax household
  • Proof that your child has no other insurance today

How long: 45 days. Coverage then starts the month after approval, or the month after that if the application is processed after the monthly cut-off.

What a yes looks like

A notice with a start date in a future month, a Medicaid health plan card, and a quarterly premium bill.

What a no looks like, and the next move

A notice saying your child holds other insurance or that income is over 205% of poverty. If your child needs hospital-level care at home, ask about Katie Beckett instead.

Watch out

  • The January 2026 transportation manual includes Nevada Check Up. The transport service assesses the trip and booking rules separately.
  • No retroactive coverage. Coverage normally starts the first of the month after approval; approval after the late-month processing cutoff may delay it another month. The approval notice gives the actual date.
  • A child who already holds other insurance is turned down at application and at renewal. Insurance that starts mid-year does not end that year.

If they say no, quote this: 42 CFR 457.805(b): a state may not impose a waiting period. The six-month wait in Nevada's posted plan is old text.

Dates that change this

2025-06-03: The posted Nevada plan still contains a six-month uninsured waiting period. Federal rules now forbid a CHIP waiting period, so it is not applied. Nevada has not published its removal notice.

2008-04-01: The premium amounts of $25, $50 and $80 a quarter are on the current state page. The income bands they map to come from an old plan document; ask which band your family falls in. (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

State child coverage to 205% of poverty ($67,650 a year for four) for $25, $50 or $80 a quarter for the whole family.

  • $67,650/year — Household of 4, published 205% ceiling
  • $56,006/year — Household of 3, published 205% ceiling
  • $79,294/year — Household of 5, published 205% ceiling
  • $25 — Lowest quarterly family premium
  • $50 — Middle quarterly family premium
  • $80 — Highest quarterly family premium

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · Specialists through the Medicaid health plans

Legal protection: 12 months of continuous coverage, subject to limited exceptions; gaining other insurance or premium nonpayment does not alone end that protected period.

What it costs the family: $25, $50 or $80 a quarter for the whole family, billed on the first of January, April, July and October.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
166% to 205% of poverty under six; 139% to 205% at ages 6 to 18
Insurance status condition
the child must not be currently insured at application or at annual renewal; insurance obtained during the 12-month year does not end that year
Residency
Nevada
Continuous eligibility
12 months from enrolment
Retroactive months
No retroactive coverage. Coverage normally starts the first of the month after approval; approval after the late-month processing cutoff may delay it another month. The approval notice gives the actual date.
Waiting period
the posted plan's six-month uninsured wait is not enforced; federal rules forbid it
Processing standard
45 days from the application date

Decisions this site cannot make: Welfare and Supportive Services MAGI determination

Expect friction on: Quarterly premium billing · Coverage starts the month after approval, so there is a gap

The trap: Nevada Check Up is included in the January 2026 transportation manual. The member’s delivery system and trip assessment decide how covered rides are arranged.

Where I read this

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