Health program's new aim: Insure 1.3M poor Jerseyans

star ledger ^ | 07.09.08 | SUSAN K. LIVIO

[Coleus]

Gov. Jon Corzine enacted the first phase of New Jersey's universal health care plan yesterday by mandating coverage for all children within three years and offering affordable, subsidized policies to needy parents. The goal is to cover 1.3 million uninsured state residents by 2011 through a state program administered by private insurers at a lower cost.

"For those who are cynical about government and say we don't move and we don't change, I assure you when you look back 10 years from today, you will say we made a great stride forward," Cor zine said before signing the legislation at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy. The legislation sets a first-year goal of adding 50,000 children and 20,000 parents to FamilyCare, the state- and federally funded HMO- style program that already covers 221,600 working-poor adults and children. The law allows more parents into the program by relaxing the strict income limits.

The state will dedicate $1 million for an enrollment drive that kicks off in September when school starts. By the third year, lawmakers ex pect 400,000 uninsured children and adults to get coverage through FamilyCare, said Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), one of the bill's primary sponsors. Vitale said the plan will prevent the economic ruin of hospitals struggling to provide more than $1 billion a year in charity care, as well as families.

"Over 1 million New Jerseyans wake up every morning scared to death that ... an illness to their child or themselves will not only cause them physical pain but financial loss," Vitale said. "Bankruptcy over health care costs is the No.1 cause of bankruptcy in America." The bill also makes changes to entice younger, presumably healthier, consumers to buy a policy through New Jersey's Individual Health Coverage Program,

[NewJerseyJoe]

... and create 6 million new poor Jerseyans.

[gridlock]

BOHICA

[Solitar]

and another...

FUBAR
as is all Democrat run states and cities eventually.

[Coleus]

Repeat 'super users' are swamping the ER

[wac3rd]

And the citizenship requirements, Governor?

[Intolerant in NJ]

Gov. Jon Corzine enacted the first phase of New Jersey's universal health care plan yesterday by mandating coverage for all children within three years and offering affordable, subsidized policies to needy parents...I could have sworn that's what Medicaid was all about - but since it recently took multiple calls to the Medicaid office and eventually letters to the State Attorney General and the Federal State Attorney, and over one and one-half years, for someone to finally correct the problem of I, a former Medicaid-provider, receiving weekly statements saying that I was providing services to people I had never seen at times when I was nowhere near the places the services were supposedly provided, it seems clear to me at least that the Medicaid program is hopelessly mismanaged and wasteful, and Corzone's new program will end up the same way very shortly........

[SunkenCiv]

49 other states, plus the D.C., (and, eventually, Obama’s 57 states) will soon be paying one-way bus fare to NJ for any uninsured locals... :’) Thanks Coleus.

Obama Adopts Proposal From Clinton Health Plan
Wall Street Journal | July 13, 2008 | Melanie Trottman
Posted on 07/13/2008 4:01:41 PM PDT by FocusNexus
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044932/posts

[socialismisinsidious]

Socialized Medicine aka Universal Health Care PING LIST

FReepmail me if you want to be added to or removed from this ping list.