Editorial

NY Takes A First Step
In Health Coverage

Some 619,000 residents of New York state are about to get a whopping present, compliments of Governor George Pataki. The governor, with federal Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson at his side, last week announced the approval by the federal government of the implementation of the state's Family Health Plus program. Families numbered among the state's working poor who earn up to 150 percent above the federal poverty level and single adults who earn up to 100 percent above the poverty level will be provided with free health insurance, starting in September. Until now such individuals and families earned too much to qualify for Medicaid, the federal health insurance program begun during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, but often did not get health insurance thorough their employers.

Pataki called the program "a huge step toward making sure that quality affordable health care is available to every New Yorker." Some residents of the state matched his enthusiasm and justifiably so. As anyone with private health insurance can attest, premiums for even the most basic of health coverage are not cheap. "We just can't afford private insurance all the time," a resident whose husband is disabled and who herself works part time, said.

New York is one of several states to provide free health insurance for children. The state's Child Health Plus program covers children whose parents meet income specifications from birth through 19 years of age. Its Medicaid program is also considered relatively generous and a program of subsidized insurance is also available to small business owners who employ a sufficient number of people to qualify. Hawaii, Massachusetts and Oregon offer health insurance to working adults through joint state-federal partnerships, but Family Health Plus is expected to be the largest such insurance program in the nation. The tab for the program will run to approximately $1.1 billion over the next three and a half years, half of which will come from the federal government. The remaining half will be funded jointly by the state and localities, each of which will pay 25 percent of the program's cost.

Family Health Plus is not all-inclusive; immigrants, even many who are in this country legally, are excluded. Also, many working people will still earn too much to qualify for the program. A family of four can have an income of up to $25,000 a year and a single person an income of not more than $8,300. However, as Thompson noted, Family Health Plus "may well be the most important health care program in America." In addition to providing health coverage for more than half a million working adults, the program is also expected to provide some financial relief for hospitals and health centers which are now providing unreimbursed emergency care for uninsured adults.

These are indeed significant developments. People with health insurance that allows for routine checkups are less likely to find themselves suffering from serious health conditions that could have been caught and cured or treated in early stages. Catching a problem early means the person is less likely to miss work, thereby earning more taxable income and contributing more to local, state and federal economies. And many diseases if treated early are less likely to become communicable and thus a threat to other people--truly a case of "a stitch in time saves nine." Hospitals and clinics will be able to recoup at least some of the cost of emergency health care when such care is necessary.

We applaud Governor Pataki for taking so bold and responsible a step toward providing health care for more residents of New York state. We offer a toast to everyone's very good health, now given a greater possibility of attainment. While aimed at the less affluent among us, Family Health Plus will ultimately benefit New Yorkers at all income levels.