CHP in a medical context most commonly refers to one of two things: Child Health Plus, a public health insurance program for children in New York State, or a Clinical Health Psychologist, a specialist who addresses the connection between psychological and physical health. Less often, CHP stands for combined heat and power, a hospital energy system, or a Community Health Partnership program. Here’s what each one means and why it matters.
Child Health Plus: New York’s Insurance for Kids
Child Health Plus is a New York State health insurance program that covers children under age 19 whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but may not be able to afford private insurance. It is New York’s version of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which exists in some form in every state. If you’ve seen “CHP” on medical paperwork or heard it mentioned at a pediatrician’s office in New York, this is almost certainly what it refers to.
To qualify, a child must be a New York State resident, under 19, and not currently covered by another health plan. Children who are eligible for Medicaid or for coverage under a public employee benefits plan are directed to those programs instead.
What It Costs
Families with household income below about 2.2 times the federal poverty level pay no monthly premium at all. For a family of four, that threshold is roughly $6,105 per month. Above that line, premiums are modest and scale with income: $15, $30, $45, or $60 per child per month, with costs capped at three children per family. A family of four earning more than about $11,000 per month would pay the full premium set by their chosen health plan.
There are no copayments under Child Health Plus. When your child sees a doctor, visits an urgent care clinic, or receives any covered service, you pay nothing at the point of care.
How to Apply
You can apply in two ways: call 1-800-318-2596 or fill out an application through the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov. If your household appears to qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, your information is forwarded to your state agency, and they’ll contact you about enrollment. You’ll also find out during the process whether you qualify for a subsidized individual plan instead.
Clinical Health Psychologist
In a professional or hospital setting, CHP can stand for Clinical Health Psychologist. These are psychologists who specialize in how psychological, social, and emotional factors influence physical health and illness. They work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, pain clinics, and primary care offices, helping patients manage the behavioral side of conditions like diabetes, chronic pain, heart disease, and cancer recovery.
Their work goes beyond traditional talk therapy. Clinical health psychologists assess how stress, habits, and thinking patterns contribute to physical symptoms. They help patients change behaviors that worsen their conditions, whether that means building an exercise habit after a cardiac event, managing the anxiety that amplifies chronic pain, or sticking with a complex medication routine. They also play a role in prevention, helping people adopt healthier lifestyles before disease develops.
Board certification in clinical health psychology is granted by the American Board of Clinical Health Psychology, which is part of the American Board of Professional Psychology. Candidates must demonstrate specific education, supervised clinical training, and pass a specialty examination. If your doctor refers you to a “CHP” in a hospital system, this is the specialist you’d be seeing.
Combined Heat and Power in Hospitals
In hospital operations and facilities management, CHP refers to combined heat and power. This is an energy system that generates electricity and captures the waste heat to provide heating, cooling, hot water, and steam for sterilization, all from a single fuel source. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CHP systems deliver the same energy services using roughly one-third less fuel than conventional setups where electricity and heat come from separate sources.
For hospitals, this matters beyond simple cost savings. Medical facilities need uninterrupted power for life-support equipment, surgical suites, and refrigerated medication storage. A CHP system operating on-site provides a layer of energy independence from the electrical grid, which is especially valuable during severe weather or other emergencies that can knock out utility power for hours or days.
Community Health Partnership Programs
Some health systems and cities use CHP to describe a Community Health Partnership, a collaborative model that connects patients with local health resources. One well-studied example in Baltimore was designed to educate patients, strengthen their relationships with providers, and link them to services like nutrition programs, mental health support, and chronic disease management. Evaluations of these programs found they helped patients become more proactive about managing their own health and gave providers better tools to refer patients to community resources.
If you encountered “CHP” on a flyer, community board, or social services document, it likely refers to a local partnership program rather than a specific insurance plan or medical specialty. The name and structure vary by city and health system.