An additional 33,000 New Jersey children are expected to receive health care this year, thanks to $286 million in federal funding coming to the state through the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of $6 billion in federal funds to states to help provide coverage for children without health insurance. The funds were made available through the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), signed into law in February by President Barack Obama.

Sebelius made the announcement of the funding release in Englewood, N.J., saying the program’s reauthorization was an “important step to provide quality, affordable health care to millions of children.”

“Through CHIPRA, states and territories will receive additional funds to provide health insurance to 11 million children, including 4 million who were previously uninsured. Parents now have more help if their children fall ill,” she said in a statement. “In these difficult economic times, more and more families will turn to CHIP to assure their children’s continued access to critical health care services. To ensure our nation’s future, we must insure our children now.”

New Jersey will receive $286 million for its NJ Family Care program, a state- and federally funded health insurance program providing free and low cost health insurance for uninsured children and certain low-income parents. During fiscal year 2008, more than 151,000 children were enrolled in New Jersey’s CHIP program and the additional funding will extend its offerings to 33,000 additional children.

CHIPRA also allows for “Express Lane Eligibility,” giving states the ability to grant income-eligibility for children for Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare based on gross income or adjusted gross income as indicated by state income tax records or returns.

Jon S. Corzine

In April, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine announced a new “Express Lane” state insurance application to streamline enrollment for NJ FamilyCare using such records.  According to his office, through May 31, the state has identified nearly 280,000 households with 450,000 children who have reported they are without health insurance coverage.

At the announcement with Sebelius, Corzine thanked those working in Washington, D.C., and the state’s Congressional delegation to secure funding for New Jersey’s children.

“At a time when our state and nation are facing substantial economic challenges, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to provide access to quality health insurance for our uninsured children,” the governor said. “I’m pleased that through our successful NJ FamilyCare program and new Express Lane option, we will continue to make great strides in reaching and enrolling every eligible child in New Jersey.”

To date, HHS has released more than $1 billion under CHIPRA, and expects to allocate the remainder to states and U.S. territories by the end of September, according to the federal office.