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

Childhood Cancer Lantern
Search Saved

Wyoming program

Kid Care CHIP

Kid Care CHIP is health coverage for children whose family income is above the Medicaid limit.

What it is

Kid Care CHIP is health coverage for children whose family income is above the Medicaid limit.

Kid Care CHIP covers children under 19 who meet its income and insurance rules. One application checks Medicaid first. Unlike Medicaid, CHIP cannot sit alongside other health insurance your child already has.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child must be under 19 and live in Wyoming. Other health insurance enrollment bars CHIP.
  • The line is about $4,668 a month for three people and $5,637 for four, once the state's allowance is included.
  • The income screen adds the conditional five-percent deduction to the published line and rounds down to whole dollars. For four people its displayed ceiling is $5,637.
  • A state employee health-plan offer can affect CHIP even if your child is not enrolled. Federal law has limited exceptions. The eligibility office must check which approved Wyoming exception, if any, applies. A private employer’s offer is a different question.
What you get
  • Full child health coverage, with any family charges set by the program’s current rules.
Coverage and costs
  • The eligibility office confirms the current copay schedule and its effective dates before the family relies on a dollar amount.
  • Well-child visits and immunizations are free, and total family charges are capped for the year. Ask the office for the current copay list.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the financial counselor to help with the shared Medicaid and CHIP application at wesystem.wyo.gov.
  2. Have current income and all insurance information ready, including any offer of a state employee health plan.

The Wyoming Department of Health, through the Wyoming Eligibility System · 1-855-294-2127 · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • Approved children receive 12 months of continuous eligibility.
  • There is no waiting period for a child who was uninsured.
Good to know

Ending insurance does not guarantee CHIP eligibility or coverage of your cancer team. The counselor can compare both before any change.

Other details
  • The same office checks the free Medicaid route first. A change in pay can change which coverage fits.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Would Kid Care CHIP cover our child and the treatment team? How do its costs and insurance restrictions affect us, and could you help us apply if it makes sense?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand the next coverage option if our income is above the Medicaid limit.

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 once and answer the questions about other insurance honestly; enrolment elsewhere is a bar here.

Your social worker

The social worker or financial counsellor checks which of the two your child lands in.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Wyoming Department of Health decides on the same application as Medicaid.
Ask the agency
“Please screen this application for Wyoming Medicaid first and Kid Care CHIP second, and tell me in writing which one my child is in.”

How to apply

First step: Apply at wesystem.wyo.gov or call 1-855-294-2127; the one application is screened for Medicaid and then Kid Care CHIP.

  1. Apply once for both: the same form is screened for Medicaid first and Kid Care CHIP second.
  2. If a parent works for the State, the University, a community college or Natrona County School District, ask the benefits office in writing whether the child is excluded.
  3. If anyone tells you the child must be uninsured for 30 days first, ask them to apply the current federal rule, which bars waiting periods.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: The same application as Wyoming Medicaid: wesystem.wyo.gov or 1-855-294-2127. One application is screened for both.

What to gather

  • This month's income for the tax household
  • Your child's identity document and Social Security number
  • Details of any other insurance the child is enrolled in

How long: The same published standards as Medicaid: 45 days, 60 if more is needed. The state says online and telephone applications generally move faster than posted ones.

What a yes looks like

A letter naming Kid Care CHIP and the coverage dates. Twelve months follow.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the reason is other insurance or the state group plan, ask which rule was used and get it in writing.

Watch out

  • Being enrolled in another health plan bars a child here, unlike Medicaid.
  • Dependents eligible for the Wyoming state group plan are excluded; ask the benefits office whether being offered it is enough to exclude your child.
  • Old pages still say the child must have been uninsured for 30 days. That waiting period is no longer allowed.

Dates that change this

2024-04-02: Some Wyoming pages still say a child must have been uninsured for 30 days. The federal rule now bars waiting periods altogether. Do not let an old page turn you away; ask the office to apply the current rule.

2026-09-11: Wyoming's rule says coverage starts on the first day of the month you applied; its 2025 handbook says coverage does not start before the application date. Ask which date your letter uses.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Children's coverage to twice the poverty line: $5,500 a month for four people, $5,637 with the published deduction. No enrolment fee was found.

  • $5,500/month — Household of 4, published line (200 percent of poverty)
  • $4,554/month — Household of 3, published line
  • $6,447/month — Household of 5, published line
  • $2.45 — Copay for an office, home or eye visit, where copays apply
  • $3.65 — Copay at a rural health centre or community health centre, where copays apply
  • $12 — Months of coverage once approved

Covers: Hospital and clinic care · Chemotherapy and prescriptions · The same provider network as Wyoming Medicaid since October 1, 2020

What it costs the family: No enrolment or re-enrolment fee was found. A monthly premium schedule was not published anywhere we could read, so ask. Small copays apply to some visits.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
under 19
Age max exclusive
19
Income
Tax-household income at or under twice the poverty line, with the 5 percent deduction applied only if it would change the outcome
Insurance status condition
barred: a child enrolled in other health insurance is not eligible; dependents eligible for the Wyoming state group plan are excluded and the wording on offer versus enrolment conflicts
Residency
Wyoming
Continuous eligibility
12 months
Waiting period
none: old pages naming 30 days uninsured predate the federal rule barring waiting periods

Decisions this site cannot make: Wyoming Eligibility System income determination

The trap: Enrolment in other insurance is a bar here, unlike Medicaid. A child whose parent works for the State, the University, a community college or Natrona County School District is excluded if the family is eligible for the state group plan, and Wyoming's own pages disagree about whether being offered that plan is enough or whether the child has to be enrolled. Ask your employer's benefits office in writing which it is.

Where I read this

← Back to your options