Howard County - Get Connected to Health Care

County Executive County Council

Get Connected to Health Care

The Door to HealthCare

The "Door to HealthCare" provides for the consolidation of applications and application processes for the numerous health programs available for those who are under/uninsured.
Individuals sit down with a counselor or work alone at a kiosk to enter personal data (including: family make-up, income etc.) which will determine the programs for which you and/or family members are eligible. The information will quickly be transferred electronically into the proper application and the process is complete.

"The Door to HealthCare" is located to the rear of 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046 (next to the Columbia Health Center). For further information call 410-988-3737. (Services provided include: MCHP, MA, PAC and the Healthy Howard Health Plan.)

Office hours are: Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Other Health Care Programs & Services

Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP)

Maryland Children Health Program Premium (MCHP Premium)

Medical Assistance for Families (MA for Families)

Primary Adult Care Program

Healthy Howard Health Plan (HHHP)

Urgent Care Services

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)
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?

To apply, ask questions or get further information, contact our MCHP offices at 410-988-3737 ext. 10 or come into our Door to HealthCare located to the rear of 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia MD, 21046 (next to the Columbia Health Center)

Office Hours are: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Click here to download an application. English, Espanol

Mail your completed application and the required documents to:
Fax completed applications and required documents to 410-313-5838

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 (FPL) but less than 300% of the federal poverty level (see Income Chart).
U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

To apply, ask questions or get further information, contact our MCHP offices at 410-988-3737 ext. 10 or come into our Door to HealthCare located to the rear of 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia MD, 21046 (next to the Columbia Health Center)

Office Hours are: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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:

Fax completed applications and required documents to 410-313-5838

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)
U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

Office Hours are: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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:
OR
Fax completed applications and required documents to 410-313-5838

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)
U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident for over five (5) years or qualified alien (including Refugees and Asylees)

How do I apply?

To apply, ask questions or get further information, contact our offices at 410-988-3737 ext. 10 or come into our Door to HealthCare located to the rear of 7178 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia MD, 21046 (next to the Columbia Health Center)

Office Hours are: Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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

Healthy Howard Health Plan

This program gives residents of Howard County who currently do not have health insurance access to affordable medical and preventive care. The Healthy Howard Health Plan includes: primary care; deeply discounted prescription drugs; diagnostic and lab tests; urgent care; emergency room and hospital care; specialty care and personalized health coaching. Plan members are responsible for paying a monthly fee according to their income.

Am I eligible?
To qualify for the Healthy Howard Health Plan, you must meet all of these requirements:

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)
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?

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. 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.

Urgent Care Centers in Howard County

There are times when you or a loved one need medical attention quickly or outside of regular office hours, but the situation is not an emergency. At those times, an urgent care center can be a better option than heading to the emergency room. Urgent care centers are generally less expensive for consumers and more convenient. In addition, keeping non-emergencies out of the "ER" helps to keep local emergency medical care available for those who truly need it.

This list of urgent care centers in Howard County can help you find urgent care when you need it. Click here to get the full list.

Disclaimer: The provision of this information is intended as a public information service for Howard County residents, and does not represent an endorsement by the Howard County Health Department of the sites listed.

Medicare Patients - Looking for a Local Doctor?

The Medicare.gov site is the place to find information about Medicare. The webpage provides detailed information about the basics of Medicare, resources, preventative health care and much more. If you are looking for a local doctor who accepts Medicare click on the following link: Medicare.gov/find-a-doctor. Fill in your zipcode and any preferences you might have and instantly you will be given a list of providers in your area.

Explore Your Options Under the New Affordable Care Act

Healthcare.gov

To learn more about insurance options under the Affordable Care Act visit www.healthcare.gov.

Advance Directive Information

Click here for Information on Advance Directives

(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Notice of Privacy Practices

The Howard County Health Department is committed to protecting the health information of all clients. In accordance with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the following Notice of Privacy Practices is provided to all individuals that receive services from the Department.

Click here to view Privacy Practices (File is in RTF format, which can be opened in Microsoft Wordpad and most popular word processing packages.)