Apple Health for Kids: Insurance for a Kinship Child in Washington
The child in your care needs a doctor, and you have sorted out the consent form. Now the clinic asks for an insurance card. If the child does not already have coverage, Apple Health for Kids — Washington's Medicaid and CHIP programme — is likely the answer, and you do not need legal custody to apply.
Eligibility Basics
Apple Health for Kids is Washington's Medicaid/CHIP coverage for children. Eligibility may be based on the child's own income status or household eligibility. Use Washington Healthplanfinder or Washington Connection to apply and have HCA assess the child's circumstances.
How to Apply
Two paths:
- Washington Healthplanfinder (wahealthplanfinder.org) — the state's online marketplace. You can apply for the child specifically; you do not need to apply for your own coverage at the same time.
- Washington Connection (washingtonconnection.org) — the state's combined benefits portal, which handles Apple Health, Basic Food, childcare assistance, and TANF in one application.
Follow the application prompts about the child's identity and eligibility. You are applying as the child's caretaker relative — no guardianship or custody documentation is required.
Insurance vs. Consent: Two Different Things
This is the distinction that trips up caregivers and clinic staff alike. Having Apple Health coverage on the child means the provider can bill for services. But billing authority is not treatment consent.
To consent to treatment, you need either:
- A signed RCW 7.70.065 health declaration (for routine medical, dental, and mental-health care), or
- A parental power of attorney under RCW 11.130.145
To pay for treatment, you need:
- The child's Apple Health ID (ProviderOne card), or
- The parent's private insurance card, or
- Self-pay
A clinic may have the child's insurance information on file but still refuse treatment without a consent form. And you may have a valid consent declaration but no insurance coverage. You need both pieces in place for a visit to go smoothly.
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Using the Apple Health Card at the Provider
When you present the child's Apple Health ID, the provider bills through ProviderOne (Washington's Medicaid billing system). The caregiver health declaration establishes your authority to consent; the Apple Health card establishes how the visit gets paid. Both go in the file at intake.
If the child has active Apple Health coverage under the parent's case, contact HCA to confirm how to keep the case current and where notices are sent.
When Private Insurance Applies
If the child is enrolled under a parent's private health plan, use the insurance card to bill that plan. Contact the insurer about current eligibility, coverage, and how to obtain a card; the caregiver declaration does not add a child to your commercial policy.
In that case, present the parent's insurance card at the provider and your RCW 7.70.065 declaration for consent. Ask the insurer and HCA how the private plan and Apple Health coordinate.
Our Washington School and Medical Consent Guide covers the consent side in detail — including the health declaration, the provider intake process, and what to do when a clinic will not accept your paperwork.
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