New York - State Makes Health Care Available to All Kids

New York - Starting this month, all New York families with uninsured children are eligible for moderate or no-cost health care coverage.

Gov. David Paterson says eligibility for Child Health Plus was expanded to include families whose income is four times the federal poverty level, up from the 2 1/2 times previously required.

For example, a child in a family of three whose income exceeded $44,000 would not have been able to participate in the program before the expansion. Now, that child will be eligible for coverage at no cost, or at a reduced monthly premium, if the family’s income is no greater than $70,000.

Any family with income above the new cutoff can buy into the program at the full monthly premium, which is $156 on average.