Health Insurance Blog

The Spitzer administration proposes lowering insurance premiums, creating a hot line and hiring outreach workers to encourage more children to enroll in the insurance plan.

The state Child Health Plus program, or SCHIP, is government-subsidized health insurance for children of working families

State Health Officials wants to enroll as many children to enroll in these insurance plans.

Spitzer wants to lower the co-premiums families pay. The current system requires a family to pay monthly co-premiums of $9, $15, $105 or $150 per child, depending on their income. The large gap between $15 and $105 has an unintended effect, child advocates say.

Spitzer’s proposed budget sets the monthly premiums at $15, $35, $55, $75 and $150, based on income. The governor’s plan also sets the maximum number of children at three, meaning a family of five children would have coverage for all children but pay only for three.

Spitzer is asking the Legislature to approve an additional $37 million to expand income limits from 250 percent of the federal poverty level, about $52,000 for a family of four, to 400 percent of the poverty level, or $82,000 for a family of four.

About 70,000 uninsured children would become eligible under the expansion plan, although $37 million would only cover about 17,000. More money would have to be allocated as more children enroll in future years.

At present, 396,000 children are enrolled, and the state pays $663 million.

Spitzer’s plan calls for creating a state hot line to help families navigate state health insurance programs and dedicating $7 million for community-based outreach. Spitzer also wants to expand Child Health Plus to cover foster children between ages 18 and 21, which would cost the state $250,000 annually

The main goal is to help the families to get their child insured, which is very much necessary. State Health is trying their best to help these families.