Knowing you’re covered for all your routine checkups and wellness visits, those inevitable sicknesses, and unexpected emergencies is priceless.
Ensuring your children have good health care coverage is one of those parenting musts. Knowing they are covered for routine checkups and wellness visits, inevitable sicknesses, and unexpected emergencies is priceless.
Learn more about what health care options are available for your children.
Key Benefits of Health Care for Children
- Preventive care – Regular well-child
visits, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures guidelines, help monitor growth and development, ensure timely immunizations, and identify risk factors for chronic conditions early. - Emergency access – If your child has an emergency, access to emergency treatment and care covered by health insurance can be critical.
- Early intervention – Early detection of developmental delays improves long-term cognitive and social outcomes. Chronic conditions that are caught early often can be treated more successfully.
- Medications – If your child is sick or is managing a chronic condition, having timely and consistent access to medications is important.
- Mental health support – Access to pediatric mental health services, including screening for anxiety and depression starting at age 8 (per American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations), supports early identification and treatment of mental health concerns.
- Additional services – Depending on your insurance policy, additional services like vision and hearing may be covered. These services are important for ensuring your kids can thrive in school and beyond.
Health Care Options
TRICARE
Unmarried biological children,
adopted children, and stepchildren are eligible for TRICARE until age 21. Children enrolled in college are eligible until age 23, and eligibility may extend beyond these age limits if your child is severely disabled. At age 21 or 23, your child may qualify to purchase TRICARE Young Adult.
To begin the process of getting coverage, you must register your child in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). To do this, the sponsor must go to a Uniformed Services ID card office and present the child’s official birth certificate or SF-240 Consular Report of Birth Abroad, record of adoption, or letter of placement of your child into your home by a recognized placement or adoption agency or the court.
After registration is complete, enroll in or update your TRICARE health plan. Changes in your family’s composition are considered TRICARE Qualifying Life Events or QLEs. This includes changes such as the birth or adoption of a child, the placement of a child by a court in your home, children becoming adults, or children moving away to college. A QLE opens a 90-day period for you to make enrollment changes and may mean that different TRICARE health care options are available.
You can explore what TRICARE option is right for your family, confirm your eligibility online, or call 800-538-9552. TRICARE covers well-child care, newborn care, vaccinations, and more.
CHAMPVA
If you’re the spouse, dependent, or survivor
of a Veteran who meets certain service-connected disability requirements, you may qualify for health care benefits through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA).
You may be eligible for CHAMPVA if you don’t qualify for TRICARE and at least one of these descriptions is true:
- You’re the spouse or dependent child of a Veteran who’s been rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability.
- You’re the surviving spouse or dependent child of a Veteran who died from a service-connected disability.
- You’re the surviving spouse or dependent child of a Veteran who was at the time of their death rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability.
To process the application for CHAMPVA benefits, submit a copy of your child’s birth certificate. If your child is adopted, submit a copy of the adoption papers. If your child is the Veteran sponsor’s stepchild, submit proof of the marriage. If your child is between ages 18 and 23 and enrolled in school, submit proof of school enrollment. If your child becomes permanently unable to support him or herself before age 18, submit a disability rating letter.
CHAMPVA covers most health care services and supplies, including office visits, inpatient care, mental health care, ambulance services, prescription medications, and more. You can learn more about covered and non-covered services and supplies in the CHAMPVA program guide.
Learn more about how to apply for CHAMPVA benefits online, by mail, or by fax. If you have additional questions, call 800-733-8387.
While TRICARE and CHAMPVA are similar, each program has its own eligibility requirements. In some cases, dependents may be eligible for both programs, but they cannot be used together to cover health care costs. TRICARE offers answers to frequently asked questions about the two programs, including some of the differences, as well as more information on eligibility requirements. In addition to TRICARE and CHAMPVA, VA provides information about additional health benefits some children may qualify for as well.
Having the right health care coverage for your children is a great way to ensure they’re able to grow up healthy and well.