VITALE - PRESIDENT’S CONVERSION ON SCHIP GOOD NEWS FOR NJ

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and the chief author of legislation expanding FamilyCare in order to guarantee affordable health care for all New Jersey children, issued the following statement after reading reports that President Bush had decided to back off threatened cuts to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides federal matching dollars to programs like NJ FamilyCare:

“Whether the President decided to make an election year conversion regarding SCHIP, or actually got religion in terms of access to quality health care for the working poor, the news that the Bush Administration is backing off intended cuts to the program are great news for New Jersey.

ADLER BILL TO STRENGTHEN INCOME VERIFICATION FOR FAMILYCARE SIGNED INTO LAW

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator John Adler which will bolster the State’s income verification process for Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare was signed into law today by Governor Corzine.

“New Jersey is fighting for every cent we can get from the federal government to help fund FamilyCare and Medicaid,” said Senator Adler, D-Cherry Hill. “We cannot waste our limited resources on health care for people who don’t need our help. The tougher income verification standards will make sure only those who qualify have access to these programs.”

COHEN: FAMILY CARE EXPANSION HUGE STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION

(PERTH AMBOY) - Immediately following Governor Jon S. Corzine's enactment of S-1557/A-2624 - legislation that significantly expands New Jersey's FamilyCare program and creates health coverage mandates for children - Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen (D-Union), a prime sponsor of the measure and a staunch advocate for health care reform, issued the following statement:

Legislation Expands FamilyCare for Uninsured, Moves NJ to Affordable Health Care for All

            PERTH AMBOY - A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which expands the FamilyCare safety net for uninsured New Jerseyans and takes the first step to ensure affordable health care coverage for all State residents was signed into law by the Governor today at a ceremony at Raritan Bay Medical Center.

            "Today's bill signing marks a commitment from the State of New Jersey - that we will not turn our backs on the 1 million working poor State residents who are one major health crisis away from bankruptcy," said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.  "With this new law, we are recognizing that the Garden State must spend its health care dollars smarter, and that the old system of reimbursing hospitals for providing emergency room care as a way to fund our obligation to the uninsured is dysfunctional and unsustainable.  Through this law, we are saying that the dream of affordable, quality health care for all New Jerseyans is within reach, and that our State can be a national leader in providing access to appropriate care for the uninsured."

            "Every journey begins with a first step," said David Knowlton, who worked with Senator Vitale on the health care reform plan and serves as President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.  "Today actually marks a great leap forward for New Jersey on the road to health care reform.  As I have said in the past, absolutely nothing will more quickly improve health care quality in our state than providing affordable and accessible health care coverage to those who now find it out of reach.  In the near term, thousands of children in our state will see the quality of their medical care improved and in the very near future, all of our citizens will be able to say they reside in a state which treasures their health."

            The new law, S-1557, will expand eligibility for New Jersey FamilyCare to more low-income parents, as well as expand efforts to enroll uninsured dependents up to age 31 who meet current income standards into the program.  Under the bill, parents earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level, or $42,400 in annual income for a family of four, will be eligible for health care coverage, up from the current level of 133% of the federal poverty level, or $28,200 in annual income for a family of four.  This expansion of eligibility, paid for with $8 million in the FY 2009 Budget, will restore the FamilyCare program to the level of coverage it provided a few years ago, and will maximize federal matching funds for the program.

            "With the FamilyCare program, we've seen that when parents have greater access to care, kids get enrolled too," said Senator Vitale.  "When families are trying to stretch every penny from their weekly paycheck, sometimes people view health care as expendable, and that goes for parents as well as children.  However, we need to consider access to quality health care as a fundamental right for all Americans, not a privilege for those who can afford to think past soaring mortgage or rent payments and day-to-day living expenses."

            The bill will expand outreach and marketing of New Jersey FamilyCare for eligible uninsured dependents under the age of 31, and within a year of being enacted, all children age 18 and younger will be required to have some form of health care coverage, whether through public health care programs or private insurance.  The bill does not set punitive measures for non-compliance, but the "Kids First" mandate will increase marketing of the program and work with schools, hospitals, clinics and the medical community to enroll many more children, with $1 million set aside to promote the program.  Under current eligibility standards, children and adult dependents under 350% of the federal poverty level, or $74,200 in annual income for a family of four, are eligible for subsidized care, while parents whose family income is above 350% of the poverty level can purchase FamilyCare coverage for their children at the rate the State pays, based on an initiative unveiled late last year.

            The bill also establishes a hardship waiver program for all or part of the premium payments in the NJ FamilyCare program for all enrollees.  Waivers would be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Commission of Human Services, based on an application for a hardship waiver from a parent or legal guardian.

            "The promise of NJ FamilyCare has never been fully realized, and a big reason for that is that while we have come a long way in providing affordable care, we need to do more to promote the program," said Senator Vitale.  "By engaging so many stakeholders in children's health, we can get the word out to those who qualify for subsidized care.  And by offering a hardship waiver, we can guarantee that no one will have to pay more than they can afford for health care in New Jersey."

            Finally, the bill will make various reforms in the individual and small employer insurance markets to ensure affordability and stabilize cost.  The bill will require small business insurers to make a good faith effort to market individual policies, ensuring greater competition.  The bill also establishes modified community rating to make health care coverage more affordable for young professionals who have historically forgone health insurance due to the high cost, and modifies the minimum loss ratio to ensure that a greater percentage of health care premium dollars is dedicated to direct health care costs, and not insurance administration.

            "Ensuring affordable health care in New Jersey requires a soup-to-nuts perspective on the cost drivers for health care in the Garden State," said Senator Vitale, who credited Assemblymen Louis Greenwald, D-Camden and Neil Cohen, D-Union for most of the market reform measures found in the bill.  "We cannot focus solely on publicly-funded health care - just as we can't focus on the private health insurance market - to adopt lasting and needed change in the health care system.  This bill represents a balanced approach to the health care needs of our State residents, and will provide a stepping stone for future attempts to do more to ensure that everyone can afford the health care they need in New Jersey."

            The bill was approved by both the Senate and Assembly last month.

CONAWAY BILL TO VERIFY INCOME FOR HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS CLEARS ASSEMBLY

Measure Would Require Income Verification for FamilyCare, Medicaid

(TRENTON) - The Assembly today passed legislation Assemblyman Herb Conaway, MD, sponsored that would curtail abuses of the state's health-care programs for the poor by requiring enrollees to verify their incomes and authorizing state officials to audit recipients.  

VITALE FAMILY CARE EXPANSION BILL APPROVED IN COMMITTEE

Measure Would Set Stage for Affordable Health Care for All New Jersey Residents

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would expand eligibility and outreach of New Jersey FamilyCare in order to set the stage for affordable health care for all New Jersey residents was unanimously approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

“New Jersey is in the midst of a health care crisis, and the skyrocketing cost of care is driving more residents to neglect their health in order to meet other basic human needs,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Chair of the Senate Health Committee. “No one should have to choose between food, shelter and health care, particularly when nearly six hundred people die every year because they’re uninsured. We make a substantial investment in health care for the uninsured already, and we need to seek a better, more efficient and more effective model to provide preemptive care to those in need.”

VITALE - WRONG TIME TO DIVERT MEDICAID AND FAMILY CARE SURPLUS

Senator Notes Number One Concern for Residents During Recession is Affording Health Care

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and author of a plan to make affordable health care coverage available to the uninsured, issued the following statement after today’s Committee hearing on the FY 2009 Department of Human Services budget, and plans to tap into Medicaid and FamilyCare fund surpluses for the State’s general operating expenses:

“In New Jersey and across the country, people are facing an extraordinarily uncertain economic future. A national recession and a devalued dollar have forced families around the Garden State to make difficult choices about which bills to pay, and which to put off.

VITALE STATEMENT ON SCHIP HEARING

DUMONT - Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the Committee's hearing on the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and President Bush's recent veto of legislation reauthorizing federal funding for uninsured children:

VITALE POINTS TO NEW POLL REVEALING MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT SCHIP

National Poll Shows 9 in 10 Want to See Health Care Program for Uninsured Reauthorized

TRENTON - Pointing to a new national poll showing that nine in 10 Americans want to see the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorized, Senate Health Committee Chairman Joe Vitale today said the President's opposition to the program is "out of touch with the opinion of a vast majority of Americans'."

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

SENATOR VITALE TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION OF S-CHIP PROGRAM AND NJ FAMILYCARE TOMORROW

Senator Will Also Attend Health Forum on Tobacco Following S-CHIP News Conference

NEW BRUNSWICK - Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, will participate in a news conference TOMORROW, MAY 31, at ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL to discuss emergency funding for the federal S-CHIP program and NJ FamilyCare, the program which provides health care access for the uninsured.