Income limits rise
for free health benefits
Federal family income limits have been raised for free health insurance through the state's QUEST and Medicaid programs, Hawaii Covering Kids has announced.
Under the new guidelines, retroactive to Jan. 1, a family of four can earn up to $43,368 annually and their children can qualify for free insurance.
"That's over $1,000 more than last year's limit," said Barbara Luksch, director of the Hawaii Covering Kids project, a statewide effort to find and enroll all eligible children in free insurance.
Parents and guardians of children who have been denied medical benefits since January because their income was slightly higher than the limits are encouraged to apply again, she said.
Med-QUEST's new application for children and pregnant women also makes it easier to enroll in the government health insurance programs, she said.
The new gross monthly income limits range from $1,784 for one person and $2,394 for a two-person household to $3,614 for a four-member family and $7,274 for a 10-member household.
An estimated 27,000 Hawaii children and youth have no health coverage, according to a study by the University of Hawaii Social Science Research Institute.
It said as many as 14,000 children are in families that meet income requirements for the state's QUEST health care program but aren't enrolled.
For more information about the expanded eligibility and an application, call 211 or log onto www.coveringkids.com .