Please excuse any cross-postings.

FYI, I attended an INFOLINK sponsored meeting that provided information about this program. I found it very informative and timely. Please urge your customers who might need this program to apply. They kept saying “when in doubt, apply” because they want all children to be covered. Please help spread the word.

Best,

Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Consultant, NJ State Library

NJ FamilyCare

With the recession hitting New Jersey families hard, smart ideas to meet their needs are more important now than ever. New Jersey’s public health insurance program, NJ FamilyCare, which includes Medicaid, provides free or low-cost health insurance for children whose parents do not have available or affordable employer insurance, and cannot afford to pay the high cost of private health insurance. There is limited coverage for certain low-income parents as well. NJ FamilyCare even provides some dental coverage.

Eligibility for NJ FamilyCare is based on income, not assets. It covers children 18 and younger living in households with income up to 350 percent of federal poverty level. This means that children in a family of four with annual income of $77,000 are eligible for NJ FamilyCare. And the monthly premiums are free for some families and very affordable for others. For example for a family of 4:

• Family Care is free for uninsured kids in families with incomes below $44,000 a year
• Families with incomes of up to $55,000 pay just $40 a month
• Families with incomes of up to $77,000 still qualify, with premiums no higher than $130 a month

NJ FamilyCare enables parents to take their children for regular check-ups and preventive care for chronic diseases like asthma. As we all know healthy kids do better in school and parents do not lose time from work.

March 14-20 is the Cover the Uninsured Week. So be a champion for kids and partner with the New Jersey State Library, ACNJ and the Mountainside Health Foundation to help spread the word about NJ FamilyCare. There are easy things you can do to help. Putting a link to www.njfamilycare.org on your library website or include information about NJ FamilyCare in newsletters or emails to members.

If everybody helps, together we can do a lot to make this effort a win for New Jersey kids, families and the State. Having insurance helps reduce the costs of charity care.

Applications for NJ FamilyCare and information about eligibility and the enrollment process is available at www.njfamilycare.org. Information provided to New Jersey Family Care is used only to enroll children and there are staff to assist non-English-speaking parents complete the application. Just call 1-800-701-0710.

For families who do not qualify for NJ FamilyCare there is NJ FamilyCare Advantage, which is administered by Horizon NJ Health. For more information about that program visit http://www.horizonnjhealth.com/members/advantage.html or call 1-800-637-2997.

If you have any questions, please call ACNJ at 973-643-3876 or email ...@acnj.org">NJFa...@acnj.org.  The Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) is the independent organization advocating for the well-being of all New Jersey children