United States Benefit

Children's Health Insurance Program

Also known as: CHIP

CHIP provides low-cost health coverage to children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance.

At a Glance

  • Child must be under 19 years old.
  • Family income must be within state CHIP limits(up to 300% FPL in most states, varies by state).
  • Child cannot be eligible for Medicaid(income too high for Medicaid but qualifies for CHIP).
  • Child cannot be covered under a group health planor other qualifying coverage.
  • + 2 more requirements below

Eligibility Requirements

Age Requirement

Required

Child must be under 19 years old.

age < 19

Income Limit

Required

Family income must be within state CHIP limits(up to 300% FPL in most states, varies by state).

household_income_fpl 300 percent

Not Medicaid Eligible

Required

Child cannot be eligible for Medicaid(income too high for Medicaid but qualifies for CHIP).

medicaid_eligible = false

No Other Coverage

Required

Child cannot be covered under a group health planor other qualifying coverage.

has_other_health_insurance = false

Citizenship/Immigration

Required

Must be a U.S. citizen, national, or qualified immigrant.

citizenship_status in [us_citizen, us_national, qualified_immigrant]

State Residency

Required

Must be a resident of the state where applying.

state_residency exists

Ruleset effective: 2024-01-01

Quick Info

Agency
CMS
Category
Healthcare
Last Verified
2026-01-13

Ready to Apply?

Visit the official application portal to get started.

Apply Online

Contribute

Found an error or have updated information?

Edit on GitHub
Apply for Children's Health Insurance Program