Every person needs healthcare, and your grandchild is entitled to receive coverage through Healthy Start. Job and Family Services of the State of Ohio administers "Healthy Start". Here is a thumbnail description of how it works:
(The following information was taken from the website Grandfamilies.org)
The Children's Defense Fund has published an extensive report of the supports available for children being raised in grand/kinship families across the nation. They break down the information state-by-state, and here is a thumbnail description of qualifying for healthcare insurance, which falls under the Ohio program called "Healthy Start."
The State of Ohio provides "Healthy Start": Ensuring Health Coverage for Children Raised by Grandparents and Other Relatives
"Healthy Start", a Medicaid expansion program, provides coverage to children ages 18 and under with family incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
State Policy for Enrolling Children from Kinship Care Families. In Ohio, grandparents and other relative caregivers (kinship care families) may apply for Healthy Start on behalf of the child they are raising. To apply for coverage on behalf of a related child, grandparents and other caregivers do not need to have legal custody or guardianship of the child. They will not have their income considered by the state in determining the child’s eligibility for coverage (regardless of the caregiver’s status as legal custodian or guardian). Only the child’s income (e.g., child support, social security death benefits, or a private trust) will be used to determine eligibility for health coverage unless the child’s parents also live with the caregiver and the child. They do not need to submit proof of the parents’ income (or prove a lack of parental income) unless the child’s parents also live with the caregiver and the child. They do not need to prove their blood relationship to the child or that they are the child’s full-time caretakers, but must have the child living in their home, and the child must intend to remain in the state at the time of application. The child, however, need not have resided in the caregiver’s home or in the state for a certain period of time before becoming eligible for benefits.
Relative Caregivers in OH may inquire about the Healthy Start Program by calling 1 (800) 324-8680. Or contact Ohio Dept of Job and Family Services at https://jfs.ohio.gov