New Jersey is moving forward with providing public health insurance to all children in the state, regardless of their immigration status, according to nj.com, an online publication of 12 local newspapers.
Gov. Phil Murphy's proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 includes $11 million for expanding eligibility to the state's Cover All Kids program. Coverage would begin in January 2023.
The program was announced in 2019 to provide health coverage to all uninsured children in the state. The first phase lowered coverage eligibility requirements for children in low-income families, which benefited 53,000 children.
Phase two of the program extends coverage to individuals under 18 without legal documentation whose families' incomes exceed coverage eligibility. Currently, NJ FamilyCare covers children in families with incomes up to 355 percent of the federal poverty level, or $7,840 a month for a family of four. The move would extend coverage eligibility to 90,000 uninsured children.