What's happening
This bill extends eligibility for New York's Child Health Insurance Plan to young adults up to age 30, with new premium rates.
Why it matters
Expands affordable health coverage options for New Yorkers aged 19 to 29 who may not qualify for existing adult coverage programs. (such as the Basic Health Program or marketplace plans), filling a gap for young adults who often lose coverage after childhood or through family plans.
Sets a sliding scale for premiums based on income, with the lowest-income young adults (at or below 150% of the federal poverty level) paying no premiums. this makes the program more accessible to those just starting careers or in financially unstable situations.
Positions eligible young adults as their own legally responsible adults for the purpose of coverage. , meaning their eligibility and premiums are determined independently of parental income, which is particularly significant for those who are financially independent but do not yet have access to employer-based or affordable marketplace insurance.
Could reduce the uninsured rate among young adults, a group statistically more likely to be uninsured, and may improve public health outcomes by ensuring continuous access to preventive and primary care during a critical life stage.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Child Health Coverage Age
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Expand Child Health Insurance
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8618
IN SENATE
May 10, 2018
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to extending eligibility for the child health insurance plan to young adults
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 2510 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 2 of the laws of 1998, is amended, and a new subdivision 4-a is added to read as follows:
4. "Eligible child" or "eligible children" means a person or persons [under the age of thirteen years for the period January first, nineteen hundred ninety-one through December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-three; born on or after June first, nineteen hundred eighty and under the age of sixteen for a period commencing on or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-four through December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-six; and for a person or persons enrolled in the program on the day before they are sixteen years of age, under the age of seventeen for a period commencing on or after June first, nineteen hundred ninety-five through December thirty-first, nineteen hundred ninety-six; and] under the age of nineteen [for periods commencing on or after January first, nineteen hundred ninety-seven,] who meets or meet the criteria in section two thousand five hundred eleven of this title. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, "eligible child" includes an eligible young adult.
4-a. "Eligible young adult" means a person nineteen years of age or older but less than the age of thirty, who meets the criteria in section two thousand five hundred eleven of this title and who is not eligible for the basic health program under section three hundred sixty-nine-gg of the social services law or a qualified health plan through the New York state of health marketplace. An eligible young adult shall be deemed to be his or her own legally responsible adult for the purposes of this title.
§ 2. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 9 of section 2510 of the public health law, as amended by section 29 of part D of chapter 56 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
(d) for periods on or after July first, two thousand nine, amounts as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11187-03-8
S. 8618 2
(i) no payments are required for eligible children under the age of nineteen whose family household income is less than one hundred sixty percent of the non-farm federal poverty level and for eligible children under the age of nineteen who are American Indians or Alaskan Natives, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, whose family household income is less than two hundred fifty-one percent of the non-farm federal poverty level; and
(ii) nine dollars per month for each eligible child under the age of nineteen whose family household income is between one hundred sixty percent and two hundred twenty-two percent of the non-farm federal poverty level, but no more than twenty-seven dollars per month per family; and
(iii) fifteen dollars per month for each eligible child under the age of nineteen whose family household income is between two hundred twenty-three percent and two hundred fifty percent of the non-farm federal poverty level, but no more than forty-five dollars per month per family; and
(iv) thirty dollars per month for each eligible child under the age of nineteen whose family household income is between two hundred fifty-one percent and three hundred percent of the non-farm federal poverty level, but no more than ninety dollars per month per family;
(v) forty-five dollars per month for each eligible child under the age of nineteen whose family household income is between three hundred one percent and three hundred fifty percent of the non-farm federal poverty level, but no more than one hundred thirty-five dollars per month per family; [and]
(vi) sixty dollars per month for each eligible child under the age of nineteen whose family household income is between three hundred fiftyone percent and four hundred percent of the non-farm federal poverty level, but no more than one hundred eighty dollars per month per family[.];
(vii) no payments are required for eligible young adults whose household income is at or below one hundred fifty percent of the non-farm federal poverty level;
(viii) twenty dollars per month for each eligible young adult whose household income is above one hundred fifty-one percent of the non-farm federal poverty level but at or below two hundred percent of the nonfarm federal poverty level;
(ix) one hundred sixty dollars per month for each eligible young adult whose household income is above two hundred one percent of the non-farm federal poverty level but at or below two hundred fifty percent of the non-farm federal poverty level; and
(x) a premium payment equivalent to the second lowest costing silver plan offered in the New York state of health marketplace that would be available to the young adult if eligible for a qualified health plan, not to exceed the amount of a full monthly premium payment for the child health insurance plan for each eligible young adult whose income is above two hundred fifty-one percent of the non-farm federal poverty level.
§ 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2019; provided that the commissioner of health shall take such actions, including making regulations and applying for federal financial participation, as are reasonably necessary for implementation of this act on that date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to extending eligi- bility for the child health insurance plan to young adults
Purpose or general idea of bill
To extend the age of eligibility' for Child Health Plus-to young adults insurance coverage due to their immigration status.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends subdivision 4 of section 2510 of the public health law to add the phrase "eligible young adult" and adds a new subdivision 4-a to define "eligible young adult" as a person 19 years of age or older but less than the age of 30.
Read the full memo (679 words)
Section 2 amends paragraph (d) of subdivision 9 of section 2510 of the public health law to add the phrase "under the age of nineteen" to subparagraphs (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v)and (vi); and adds subpara- graphs (vii), (viii), (ix) and (x) defining eligibility based on incomes and associated premium payment levels.
Section 3 states the effective date as April 1, 2018.
Justification
Over the past few years, New York has drastically cut its uninsured rate. However, many immigrant New Yorkers have not benefited from new coverage options or public coverage through the New York State of Health Marketplace because of exclusions based on their immigration status. Numerous studies have found that people without coverage are more likely to delay seeking preventive care for serious and chronic health condi- tions, avoid seeking care for fear of costs, and are at higher risk of incurring medical debt or bankruptcy. Recent studies have shown that those who have gained coverage have reduced mortality and morbidity. Finally, lack of coverage for significant numbers of New Yorkers incurs problems for the broader health care system because payers and providers charge more to the insured population to offset their losses related to providing care to the uninsured. But even with this cost shifting, the costs associated with uncompensated care threatens the financial sustainability of many safety net hospitals and clinics.
This bill would provide young adult immigrants with access to health insurance coverage that is equivalent to the coverage offered to their citizen or lawfully present counterparts who are eligible for Essential Plan or through Qualified Health Plans offered through the New York State of Health Marketplace. The bill extends coverage through New York's Child Health Plus program to young adult immigrants between the ages of 19 through 29, averting the health insurance cliff many young immigrants now face when they turn 19 after years of state investment in their health.
This program builds upon New York's strong commitment to young people evidenced by both our universally available Child Health Plus program and our commercial young adult coverage law which requires employers and insurance carriers to offer young adults the opportunity to stay on their parents' health plan through the age of 29.
This bill seeks to provide coverage to immigrant young adults that mirrors the coverage offered to their young adult citizen and qualified immigrant counterparts.
By expanding coverage, this bill makes New York health care providers more financially sound and better able to provide continuous, high-qual- ity care to 1 this population.
Prior legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications for state & local governments
According to a 2016 report by the Community Service Society of New York, How Can New York Provide Health Insurance Coverage to its Uninsured Immigrant Residents?, there are approximately 90,100 young adult immi- grants who would be eligible, but only 27,900 of those who are eligible are likely to enroll. Members would pay premiums on a sliding fee scale, based on the young adult's income. The total cost to the state would be approximately $78 million in 2016. Adjusting for medical inflation, the cost in 2018 would be $81 million. There would be no fiscal impact on local governments.
Effective date
This act shall take effect April 1, 2019; provided that the commissioner of health shall take such actions, including making regulations and applying for federal financial participation; as are reasonably neces- sary for implementation of this act on that date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.