High-Risk Pools
The Alabama Health Plan became operational in 1998 and as of June 2006, there were just over 3,000 people enrolled. The program is financed by member premiums and assessments to the insurance industry based on premium volume in the state. The program has a premium cap that is 200 percent of market rate for comparable coverage.
State Specific Strategies
Alabama Child Caring - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama operates the Alabama Child Caring program, which provides health insurance for uninsured children who are ineligible for public coverage. Eligibility is coordinated between this private program and Medicaid and SCHIP in a number of ways. The programs share a uniform application form and they coordinate applications between the public and private programs. Benefits are outpatient only.
State Profiles
