By Forum Staff
On Thursday, Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas (D-East Elmhurst), was joined at NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst by medical staff and union representatives to celebrate the inclusion of González-Rojas’ bill, A8146/S7747, in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 State Budget.
The legislation is slated to provide continual health care coverage enrollment for qualifying children from birth to 6 years old in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Of the nearly 90 million people on Medicaid and CHIP, over 40 million are children.
“The inclusion of this bill in the State Budget is a crucial step in ensuring that the patients we serve can access the care they need,” Dr. Pilar Gonzalez, director of NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst’s Pediatric Clinic, said.
Toward the end of 2023, as President Joe Biden’s public health emergency declaration ended, 400,000 New Yorkers were purged from Medicaid due to paperwork issues. Nearly half of all children and over three-quarters of low-income children in New York rely on Medicaid and Child Health Plus for their health care. Parents were required to re-enroll their children in these programs each year, no matter if their eligibility changed, which caused the disenrollment mishap. This administrative hurdle, though, has affected families before the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in lapsed coverage for thousands of children.
“We cannot compromise on caring for our children and families. Hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable New Yorkers are left exposed due to lack of health coverage. I am so proud that my legislation to provide continual coverage from birth to age 6 was passed in the state budget and grateful to Speaker Heastie for his support. Now we need the federal government to do as it has done with eight other states and approve the waiver with urgency. This will drive down administrative costs for hospitals and reduce the burden of paperwork for our working families. Though we are on the other side of the pandemic, our low-income children and families are always at greater risk of health issues. Continual coverage will shore up the health and safety of all New Yorkers,” González-Rojas said.
The bill authorizes New York to join other states in submitting an 1115 federal waiver to provide continuous eligibility to all children who enroll in Medicaid and Child Health Plus until they reach age six. Continuous coverage for young children would improve health outcomes, prevent financial hardship, and address coverage gaps for families. Children with stable health coverage are more likely to experience improved health outcomes, lower rates of disability, higher educational attainment, and more financial security in adulthood.
Now that the bill has passed, area legislators are urging the federal government to approve the 1115 waiver to enact the bill and save the lives of millions of children across New York State.
“Healthcare is a universal right. In our pursuit of it, we celebrate the inclusion of A8146, extending vital public health insurance coverage to our youngest residents. As we strive for equitable access to life-saving health care, join us in calling on the federal government to approve this waiver,” said Councilman Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights).
