Parents of newborns in New Jersey will soon be able to bring their new bundle of joy home from the hospital complete with insurance coverage.

State officials announced the “Insured For Sure” pilot program, taking place at nine New Jersey hospitals where staff will confirm coverage to officials at the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). The child can either be covered by its parents’ insurance or, if uninsured, a NJ FamilyCare application is immediately submitted to the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) online.

NJ FamilyCare, administered by DHS, is a free or low-cost insurance program for families earning up to 350% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $77,000 for a family of four) and parents earning up to 200% of FPL (about $44,000 for the same family).

New Jersey has no uniform standard among hospitals to ensure every newborn has health insurance, so under the program, hospital staff will verify their status and assist families in acquiring coverage prior to leaving the hospital with their baby.

Heather Howard

DHHS Commissioner Heather Howard said at participating hospitals, “we can now guarantee that no New Jersey newborn leaves the hospital without health insurance.”

“Having health insurance is the first step in ensuring the youngest New Jerseyans have a healthy start in life,” Howard said in a statement.

The program will be piloted by AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City (City and Mainland campuses); Capital Health System in Trenton (Mercer campus); Cooper Health System in Camden; Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch; Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen; Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point; Saint Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick; and the Voorhees campus of the Virta-West Jersey Hospital.

“New Jersey is a national leader in ensuring that children have access to health care,” said Gov. Jon S. Corzine in a statement. “This innovative partnership with New Jersey hospitals is a bold step, putting New Jersey ahead of the rest of the nation in ensuring that every baby gets the health insurance they need and deserve.”