Health Insurance Legislation Clears Hurdle In Senate With Language For NJ Negotiated By Sen. Menendez Still Intact

Press Release

HEALTH INSURANCE LEGISLATION CLEARS HURDLE IN SENATE WITH LANGUAGE FOR NJ NEGOTIATED BY SEN. MENENDEZ STILL INTACT

The bill reauthorizing a major state health insurance program for working and low-income children and families passed the Senate Finance Committee without any changes to language that will preserve support for New Jersey's robust FamilyCare program. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) successfully negotiated the inclusion of two key streams of federal support for New Jersey in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act:

· an exemption to continue coverage for working and low-income parents in New Jersey, which in turn helps increase coverage of children, and

· enhanced federal funds to cover children whose families make up to 350% of the federal poverty level - working and low-income families who do not qualify for Medicaid but often cannot afford health insurance.

"It's vital for the health of our state that this bill is coming to the Senate floor in a form that will protect FamilyCare," said Menendez. "There are many thousands of working and low-income children and families in New Jersey who do not qualify for Medicaid and cannot afford health insurance on their own. For them, this bill is the difference between having coverage and being left out in the cold. I am going to be working hard on the Senate floor to see this through."

The CHIP Reauthorization Act is expected to be considered on the Senate floor this month.

New Jersey's FamilyCare is one of the nation's strongest, most robust programs, and it is estimated that without continuing support for the full scope of the program, 80,000 parents and 30,000 children in New Jersey might lose coverage. It is also estimated that the state of New Jersey will be saved $44 million under the terms of the bill.

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