Being a single parent is difficult enough without having to worry about mounting medical bills and inadequate health coverage for you or your children. Luckily, there are several options available for health insurance coverage for single parent families.

Where to start:

First of all, check and see if your employer offers a special employee-plus-child rate through their group plan, which often run cheaper than regular family plans because children are less expensive to cover than adults. Or, if your child is covered under an ex-partner’s benefits, make sure you have the appropriate paperwork in order so that you know what your child is entitled to and how to keep these benefits in place.

If you cannot get a special rate through your workplace, or your workplace does not offer health insurance, you may want to consider another private health insurance carrier. Many companies offer special single parent premium rates, which are lower than typical family membership, running at about one-and-a-half times the regular rate. Do your research, shop around to see where you can get the best coverage for the best price, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Additionally, as the sole breadwinner in the family, it’s a good idea for single parents to make sure they have adequate disability protection either through current coverage or supplemental coverage, to protect the financial health of their family in case an illness or injury takes them out of the workforce for an extended period of time.

What if I cannot afford health insurance for my child?

The federal government and states have teamed up to offer health insurance to children from lower income families or those who do not qualify for other forms of insurance through programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program). The qualifying criteria for these programs can differ from state to state, but generally they will cover expenses such as medicines, immunizations, doctor’s visits, and dental care, and are designed to be affordable alternatives to private health coverage.