Change in Federal Poverty Guidelines Makes Millions of Americans Eligible for Government-Sponsored H |
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Written by U.S. Insurance News
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Monday, 10 March 2008 |
By changing the poverty level guidelines, the federal government has opened the door for millions of Americans to receive health insurance.
The problem is, those who are uninsured aren't aware they are now eligible for coverage. But the Foundation for Health Coverage Education (FHCE), a non-profit group based in San Jose, Calif., is trying to change that. The organization is trying to publicize how the guideline changes affect citizens across America.
"Its important to get the word out about these increases because nearly 33 percent of the 47 million uninsured in America are eligible for government-sponsored health insurance but aren't signed up," noted Phil Lebherz, founder of FHCE.
County-, state-, and federal-sponsored health coverage programs set eligibility requirements based on the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) guidelines, which are updated every year. Thus, the impact of the guideline changes varies from place to place and program to program.
For example, in New Hampshire, the income ceiling for a family of four for the Healthy Kids program increased from $82,600 to $84,800.
In New York, the income level for a family of four qualifying for Child Health Plus increased from $51,625 to $53,000 a year.
And in California, the income level for a family of three qualifying for Aid to Mothers and Infants (married, pregnant woman) increased from $51,510 to $52,800.
FHCE runs the U.S. Uninsured Help Line (1-800-234-1317) to help get people enrolled in public program offerings. In addition, the group's Web site, coverageforall.org, contains information on available coverage, eligibility, monthly cost, and public program applications for all 50 states.
"The programs to help so many people are available today," Lebherz said. "We need to do all we can to ensure that people who are eligible know how to determine if they are covered and that we make applying for coverage simple and fast."
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