State senator announces plan to insure all of New Jersey’s children

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. New Jersey State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, announced Wednesday a plan through which any family in the state with uninsured children will be able to afford health insurance, according to published reports.

Vitale, chairman of the Senate health committee, and Democratic Gov. John Corzine discussed the proposal, an agreement between the state and Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey, calling it the first step in a move towards universal health care across the state.

The governor told reporters he “absolutely believes that we are on a step-by-step process to get ourselves into position” to insure all residents.

Health experts at Rutgers University estimate there are between 50,000 and 60,000 uninsured children whose families are not eligible for FamilyCare or Medicaid because they earn too much money, but would be eligible for the new program, state officials said. The program will allow families to pay $137 per month per child for up to three children to enroll, with a maximum of $411, and will cost the state nothing, according to Vitale.

“Any family that has a child uninsured can participate in this program,’’ Velez said. “If you are a parent, this is one of the biggest stressors—not to be insured,” said Jennifer Velez, human services commissioner.

Under the plan, families will get the same services offered under the state’s lower-income FamilyCare program, including immunizations, hospitalization, lab tests, X-rays, prescription drugs and dental and mental health services. “We’re trying to make sure that our children start healthy, stay healthy, and that’s what this is all about,” Corzine said.

Vitale said his plan has always called for insuring children first, then focusing on the others who lack health insurance. “This is really just the beginning,” Vitale said.

The news comes on the heels of a United States Senate vote Tuesday to extend the State Children's Health Insurance Program until March 2009. New Jersey’s plan is expected to go into effect in January 2008.