Florida Healthy Kids, a government-sponsored program offering insurance to children ages 5 to 18 who do not qualify for Medicaid, will eliminate its Stars Plus plan Dec. 31, Naples Daily News reported.
Florida Healthy Kids is contracted with managed care organization Sunshine, Fla.-based Sunshine Health, which offers two full-pay Healthy Kids plans — Sunshine Health Stars and Sunshine Health Stars Plus. The latter will be eliminated at the end of the year, meaning the families of 969 children will need to find a new plan. Families are expected to choose a different plan on the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange, according to Naples Daily News.
The Stars Plus plan is for higher-income families who pay $299 monthly premiums. Sunshine Health's other full-pay Healthy Kids plan, Stars, will be offered at least until the end of 2017.
Low-income families receiving subsidies on their Healthy Kids insurance plans will continue receiving subsidies in the new fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, according to the report.
Families affected by the elimination of Stars Plus will be notified in several weeks, Naples Daily News reported.