MARYLAND CHILDREN'S HEALTH PROGRAM (MCHP)

The Health Department plays an important role in connecting children and families to health care.

Learn more about the following programs and find out how to apply:

Maryland Children's Health Program
Maryland Children's Health Program Premium
Medical Assistance for Families (MA for Families)
Primary Adult Care Program
Healthy Howard Health Plan

Maryland Children's Health Program

This program provides full health care coverage to pregnant women and children up to 19 years of age. Covered services include in-patient hospital care, doctor visits, lab tests, dental care, eye care, medicines and immunizations. Applicants may not have voluntarily dropped employer-sponsored group health plan or health insurance coverage within 6 months before the date of their application.

Am I eligible?
To qualify, you must meet these requirements:

• Children under age 19, who are not eligible for Medicaid, and whose annual household income is no more than 200% of the federal poverty level or FPL (see Income Chart at the bottom of this page for income details)
• Pregnant women of any age, whose annual household income is no more than 250% of the federal poverty level or FPL
• U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

• Call 1-800-456-8900 and ask to have an application mailed to you.
• Click here to download an application. English, Espanol
• Mail your completed application and the required documents to:

  Howard County Health Department
  Attention: MCHP Unit
  7180 Columbia Gateway Drive
  Columbia, MD 21046

  
  
• The MCHP office sees walk-ins 8:30am to 3:00pm on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month.

Maryland Children Health Program Premium (MCHP Premium)

If children are not eligible for free health care services through MCHP, there is MCHP Premium. This program provides full health care coverage for a small monthly fee to children under 19 years of age whose family income exceeds the income limit for MCHP. The cost per family is $46.00 - $58.00 per month.

Am I eligible?
To qualify, you must meet these requirements:

• Children under age 19, who are not eligible for Medicaid, and whose annual household income is more than 200% of the federal poverty level but less than 300% of the federal poverty level or FPL (FPL) (see Income Chart at the bottom of this page for income details)
• U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

• Call 1-800-456-8900 and ask to have an application mailed to you.
• Click here to download an application. English, Espanol
• Mail your completed application and the required documents to:

  Howard County Health Department
  Attention: MCHP Unit
  7180 Columbia Gateway Drive
  Columbia, MD 21046

  
  
• The office sees walk-ins from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Medical Assistance for Families (MA for Families)

Medical Assistance for Families provides free and full health care coverage to low-income families with dependent children. This program began in July of 2008 and expands Medicaid eligibility to thousands more Maryland families. Covered services include in-patient hospital care, medical doctor visits, lab tests, low cost or free medicines and immunizations.

Am I eligible?

To qualify for MA for Families, you must meet all of these requirements:

• Families whose annual household income is not more than 116% of the federal poverty level or FPL (see Income Chart at the bottom of this page for income details)
• U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

• Call 1-800-456-8900 and ask to have an application mailed to you.
• Click here to download an application. English, Espanol
• Mail your completed application and the required documents to:

  Howard County Health Department
  Attention: MCHP Unit
  7180 Columbia Gateway Drive
  Columbia, MD 21046

• The office sees walk-ins from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Primary Adult Care Program (PAC)

PAC provides limited benefit health insurance coverage to individuals over the age of 19 and families without children with very limited income and resources. This program covers prescription drugs, primary care physician office visits, mental health care, and some limited additional health services. PAC does not cover services like in-patient hospital stays, out-patient hospital care, emergency room visits or visits to a specialist.

Am I eligible?
To qualify for PAC, you must meet all of these requirements:

• Over the age of 19
• Do not qualify for Medicare
• Annual household income is not more than 116% of the federal poverty level or FPL (see Income Chart at the bottom of this page for income details)
• U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

** Please note: The Health Department does not work on applications to PAC. These applications are processed at the state level. If you have additional questions about PAC, please visit http://dhmh.maryland.gov/mma/pac/index.htm. **

• Call 1-800-226-2142 and ask to have a PAC application mailed to you
• Click here to download a PAC application English, Espanol
• Mail your completed application and the required documents to:

  PAC Program Application
  P.O.Box 386
  Baltimore, MD 21203-0386

Healthy Howard Health Plan

• Resident of Howard County
• U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
• At least 19 years of age and less than 64 years of age
• Not eligible or enrolled in Medicaid, Medicaid for Families, MCHP, Primary Adult Care Program, or Medicare
• Annual household income is no more than 300% of the federal poverty level or FPL (see Income Chart at the bottom of this page for income details)
• Currently uninsured and not had health insurance for at least 6 months unless you involuntarily lost your health insurance due to a lay off

How do I apply?

• Go to www.healthyhowardplan.org or call 410-988-3737 to see if you are eligible and start the application process.

Income Requirements for Health Care Programs

The health care programs listed above have different income requirements.

Look to see what your household income is according to the Federal Poverty Level or FPL.

Click here to see the Federal Poverty Level chart.

This table shows the maximum yearly income according to the federal poverty level. Even if your income is higher than the amount shown for your family size, you may still qualify for one of the health care programs and should complete an application. For example, if you are self-employed, many programs count only half of your gross income.