PRESS RELEASE 

TRENTON — Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced that the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has awarded New Jersey a $4.2 million performance bonus for increasing NJ FamilyCare health insurance enrollment among eligible, uninsured, children in the state.

Only eight other states — Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington — qualified for the bonus.

“Access to health insurance for children has been a touchstone of my Administration,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine. “This bonus is a much appreciated honor for our state and a testament to the commitment we’ve exercised in insuring more than 100,000 new children over four years.”

“With our governmental and not-for-profit partners, the Department of Human Services has been working incredibly hard to find and insure eligible children using innovative programs, including presumptive eligibility in hospitals and clinics, and school-based outreach facilitators. This award proves that, while there are many children still in need of health care coverage, New Jersey is making great headway,” said Department of Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez.

In order to receive the bonus, CMS rated states on two distinct areas: Implementing at least five of eight specific programs to promote enrollment and retention for children, and increasing enrollment above a formulaic target set by the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009.

New Jersey exceeded CMS’ minimum requirements by successfully increasing accessibility to children’s enrollment in these six program areas:

     * Continuous 12-month eligibility;
    * Eliminating the financial asset test;
    * Eliminating in-person interview at application and renewal;
    * Institute single, unified, form for application and renewal;
    * Institute automatic verification at renewal; and
    * Institute presumptive eligibility for coverage.

New Jersey also achieved a 4.2 percent enrollment increase above baseline enrollment for federal fiscal year 2009 which ended Sept. 30, 2009.

Presently, NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey’s CHIP program for low-income families, insures more than 614,197 children. It provides a free or low-cost health care coverage for income-eligible families. For instance, a family of four earning up to $77,175 (or 350 percent of the federal poverty level) can qualify to insure their children for $133 a month in the state- and federally-funded program.

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