Health Insurance New Jersey

New Jersey is known to be one of the most aggressive states in the entire United States of America when it comes to health care. This aggressive stance has led to more affordable plans for children as well more accessible eligibility rules for state-assisted health care programs.

However recent surveys studying the health care systems of states across America have shown that New Jersey has dropped from 14th to 21st in the past year. According to experts this can be attributed to the number of residents that do not have some form of life or health insurance in New Jersey.

The statistics are alarming, about a million people that do not have life or health insurance in New Jersey. And the number are growing, a 75% increase since 1990. President Bush’s decision last October to impede assistance to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program of S-Chip has contributed this further. As the CHIP ensures that more children are given access to affordable life or health insurance in New Jersey, his decision is a big blow to efforts that are trying to extend health coverage to millions of children not only in New Jersey but across the entire nation.

In order to achieve more affordable life or health insurance in New Jersey the government is trying to implement a universal health care system which according to New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine should be implemented in the next few years. To start it will be rolling out in January of 2008 much affordable life or health insurance for New Jersey children from working and middle class families. This affordable life and health insurance in New Jersey comes as a result of a partnership with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance.

In order to keep the costs of life and health insurance low in New Jersey Horizon has offered to absorb the estimated $1 million dollars in losses during the first year. The state has guaranteed that it will monitor the success of this program, that is offered to all families above the 350 percent threshold.

But how low are these rates and are they really more affordable than regular life and health insurance plans in New Jersey? According to Governor Corzine qualifying residents will only need to pay Horizon a premium of $137/month for one child, $274 for a family with two children, and $411 for a family with three or more children. Compared to premiums for life and health insurance in New Jersey charged by a regular health insurance company this would be more than double for a family with one child at $400.

For low income families this presents an interim solution. As more and more families are unable to afford life and health insurance in New Jersey it presents a social problem as it means more sick that go uncared for. The state government’s own initiatives should be lauded especially given the unsupportive moves of the federal government to increase the threshold for those wanting to qualify for state-subsidized life and health insurance low in New Jersey.