RELEASE: August 6, 2002

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New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris today urged parents of children without health insurance to put "Call NJ FamilyCare" at the top of the family’s back-to-school check list.

"Health insurance is just as important as a warm winter coat or having nutritious food to eat in making sure kids stay healthy and are ready to go to school each day," said Harris. "It gives families the ability to take their kids to see the doctor or other health care provider without having to agonize over how to pay the bills. I hope that as parents are getting their children ready for school this year, they will take a minute to call NJ FamilyCare to find out if their children are eligible for the program."

Harris’ comments helped kick off a promotional effort intended to reach thousands of uninsured New Jersey children who are believed to be eligible for NJ FamilyCare but whose families have never applied. The promotional effort will attempt to make families aware of the state-subsidized health insurance program and educate them about why health insurance is important. Health care services provided by NJ FamilyCare include preventive care, immunizations, hospitalization, lab and X-ray services, prescription drugs and mental health services.

"We want to make sure that every family in New Jersey whose children might be eligible for NJ FamilyCare knows about the program and understands why it is important," said Harris. "We hope parents will call us because we want to work with parents to help give every child in the state the opportunity to be as healthy as possible."

Although 96,000 children are already enrolled in the program, which began as NJ Kid Care in 1998, it has been estimated that as many as 60,000 additional children are eligible and could be enrolled if only they would apply. Many of these children are thought to come from families with incomes between 200 and 350 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or between $36,200 and $63,350 for a family of four. These children and their families will be a special target of the promotional effort this year.

"These are working families who traditionally do not rely on government services," said Harris. "So they may not realize that their children are eligible for NJ FamilyCare, or that the program can help them save money on medical bills. New Jersey is one of the few states in the country that offers state-subsidized health insurance for children from families with incomes this high."

The NJ FamilyCare promotional effort kicks off this month with a series of evenings highlighting the program at the state’s seven minor league baseball parks. Also in August, back-to-school events will be held in conjunction with YMCA in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

During the school year, a variety of programs offered through elementary, middle and high schools around the state will talk about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, the importance of health insurance, and NJ FamilyCare. These programs will include assemblies hosted by the "Caring Coach" robot in elementary schools and a contest challenging editors of high school newspapers to develop editorials related to the importance of good health habits, health insurance and NJ FamilyCare.

Special outreach is being directed at school nurses and athletic coaches so that they can be more involved in providing uninsured children with material about the program. Also, curriculum materials are also being developed for use in health classes.

For more information, call NJ FamilyCare at 1-800-701-0710 (multilingual operators are available) or download and application from www.njfamilycare.org.)