Gov. Murphy highlights expanded eligibility for NJ FamilyCare health care coverage as administration continues efforts to cover all kids
Income-Eligible Children Can Now Obtain Medicaid Coverage in New Jersey Regardless of Immigration Status
NEW JERSEY – Governor Phil Murphy Wednesday highlighted expanded eligibility for the NJ FamilyCare health care coverage as part of his administration’s efforts to provide all New Jersey children with health insurance through the “Cover All Kids” campaign.
As of January 1, 2023, children under the age of 19 whose families meet income eligibility requirements are now able to obtain Medicaid coverage regardless of their immigration status.
NJ FamilyCare is the state’s publicly funded health insurance program that includes Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) recipients and is managed by the New Jersey Department of Human Services.
“Every child should have access to health care,” Murphy said. “By helping more children get NJ FamilyCare coverage regardless of their immigration status, we are working to make New Jersey a fairer, more affordable place for all to live. This expanded eligibility is an important step in my Administration’s ongoing efforts to ensure every child in our state has access to the quality health insurance coverage they deserve.”
Phase 1 of the Cover All Kids campaign helped remove barriers and support connections to coverage by eliminating the 90-day waiting period for children to get coverage after enrolling in the New Jersey Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and eliminating premiums families would have paid for children enrolled in CHIP. Targeted mailings have been sent to key community partners, like food pantries, libraries, family success centers, local health departments, and others.
This year’s expanded eligibility represents the start of Phase 2 of the campaign, which focuses on equitable access to health insurance coverage regardless of immigration status. As of January 1, standard coverage is now available for children of undocumented status who otherwise meet the same requirements as all other children in the Medicaid program. This expanded eligibility is estimated to apply to an additional 16,000 children throughout New Jersey.
To help boost enrollment for eligible children who have not yet been enrolled in a health insurance plan, the Administration is developing a grant program to support outreach and enrollment by community organizations.
Since the launch of Cover All Kids in 2021, more than 47,000 New Jersey children who were eligible but not enrolled are now insured through NJ FamilyCare.
In addition to highlighting the newly-expanded eligibility, Governor Murphy and fellow speakers at today’s event at Zufall Health Center – a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Morristown that provides health care services regardless of documentation status or ability to pay – emphasized the importance of residents applying for health insurance through NJ FamilyCare if they and their children are eligible.
Families can learn more and apply by visiting njfamilycare.org or by calling 1-800-701-0710 (TTY: 711).
