State and Federal Government health insurance plans can be a tremendous help to family’s and to the uninsurable population.  These plans fall into 3 very broad categories:

1. For children and pregnant mother’s
2. For those that have insurance now or within the last 60 days and need a source of insurance because they have been denied coverage
3. For those who are uninsurable and have not had insurance for quite a while

Of course, there is a lot more to say about each of these categories, and all sorts of strategies and caveats need to be discussed depending on your unique situation.  There is also another category which will not be discussed a great deal on this website, however, some links to their site will be discussed (this is Medicaid).

This section of the website will discuss category 1:  CHP+.  CHP Plus stands for Child Health Plan Plus and is funded by the State.  This system provides insurance for pregnant Mom’s and children.  When you apply to CHP+, you are also applying for Medicaid, and the folks that review the application will decide which program best suits your family situation, and will enroll you in the appropriate program.  Here is the link for Medicaid if you fall into that category: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/HCPF/HCPF/1197969485591

Here is the link for the Colorado CHP+ program:  http://www.cchp.org/

Your family eligibility and how much you pay for co-pays (there are no premiums or co-insurance) depends on how much the family earns.  I have pasted the income limits (financial eligibility) directly from their website so that you can quickly determine if this is going to work for your family.  Obviously, if you make more money than what is listed per family size, you don’t qualify for the program.  Some of my clients have really been hurt by this rule because their income was just above the threshold listed.  Depending on the situation, this will force you into a lower premium policy.

My experience with the CHP+ network has been very good.  However, as a rule, there are fewer choices in rural areas, and cities like Pueblo don’t seem to have many choices compared to cities north of that area.

Here is their contact information (Customer Service) (800) 359-1991.  They are open M-F 8:00am to 6:00pm.  Call they if you have questions, or call my office and I will help you as much as I can.