Did you know…
Indiana has a program called Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS). CSHCS provides additional medical coverage for children under the age of 21 who have serious, chronic medical conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, chromosomal disorders, complicated medical conditions, and many others. This is a great program because it can provide coverage for therapies and medical devices that many private insurance policies don’t cover. It also helps with deductibles, co-pays, medically necessary dietary supplements, nursing services, etc. which can get very expensive. This is also the one state program which will even cover up to $10,000 of ABA services per year. Children can have CSHCS while also having Medicaid or private insurance.
There is a catch, though. Unlike a Medicaid Waiver which does not look at family income, CSHCS does. To qualify, families have to make 250% of the federal poverty level or less. That’s a lot more than most people realize, though. For example, a family of four in 2013 could make $58,875 and still qualify. They also take certain expenses into account and adjust a family’s income accordingly. If families are even close to the income guidelines, they should apply.
For more information or to learn about other programs, call a family advocate at The Arc of Indiana at 317-977-2375 or 1-800-382-9100.