Since the COVID-19 outbreak began the need for mental health services for those who had never experienced mental health troubles increased at fast pace . One of the most vulnerable of these populations that has been affected greatly is youth. The United States has an extraordinary number of children who are uninsured. This means they would pay out of pocket for a therapist, a prescribed medication, and even a visit to the pediatrician, all of which can be very expensive.
Utah is 6th in the country for the highest rate of uninsured children. As of 2021, there were 82,000 children who did not
have health insurance in Utah. There are many resources and programs to combat this issue, one of those being the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
One of the most challenging aspects in getting youth insurance is overcoming barriers such as finances, lack of resources, or lack of knowledge about resources. There are currently 20,000 children in Utah that qualify the CHIP Medicaid plan but are not enrolled.
If you know of a child who is uninsured and you think they would qualify go to to coveringkids.health.utah.gov
or call 1-888-222-2542.
Some basic enrollment requirements are:
- Be under the age of 19
- US citizen or legal resident
- Income restrictions (i.e a family of 4 has to make under $55,000 annually).
There is no cap on the amount of children in a household that can apply and enrollment for CHIP is always open. The website takecareutah.org
can help with completing application or provide interpreters for any language barriers or call 1-801-433-2299.