TRENTON — Showing his distaste for the budget deal reached Monday, Senate Health Committee Vice-Chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has introduced a bill that would allow more parents to enroll in FamilyCare, the insurance program for working poor people. Vitale's bill would take $24.6 million of the $665 million in state funds Christie proposes to give hospitals for treating uninsured...
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N.J. Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) at a news conference in Trenton in 2008.TRENTON — Showing his distaste for the budget deal reached Monday, Senate Health Committee Vice-Chairman Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has introduced a bill that would allow more parents to enroll in FamilyCare, the insurance program for working poor people.
Vitale's bill would take $24.6 million of the $665 million in state funds Christie proposes to give hospitals for treating uninsured patients and use it to enroll working poor parents in FamilyCare.
The governor has proposed adding $60 million more for charity care in the coming year by expanding an existing tax on hospitals.
Vitale said it makes sense to use some of the charity care money to insure more patients, reducing the reliance on charity care.
Vitale said hospitals probably won't like his proposal, but "it will cost hospitals three times as much to treat these patients in the emergency room,'' he said.
Christie's budget freezes adult enrollment into the program, according to the bill. If it passes, the legislation would admit 39,000 uninsured parents into FamilyCare, a free or low cost HMO-style health plan. The state would generate $45.7 million in federal matching funds.
Vitale also sponsored a bill with Health Committee Chairman Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) Monday to restore the $7.5 million taken to support the 58 family planning clinics around the state.
The New Jersey Hospital Association won't take a position on Vitale's bill until they review it more thoroughly, association spokeswoman Kerry McKean Kelly said today. "He assures us there will be no adverse impact on hospitals from the legislation,'' she added.
Previous coverage:
• Christie's new charity care funding will cause N.J. hospitals losses, gains in state aid
