A bill sponsored by state Sen. Jeremy Cooney would remove household income limits and premiums from New York's Child Health Plus program, potentially opening the children's insurance plan to families who now earn too much to qualify.
The proposal, S10698, was introduced Sept. 11 and is in the Senate Rules Committee. It has not been passed or enacted. Cooney plans to outline it at an 11 a.m. press announcement Monday on National Child Health Day at Anthony L. Jordan Health Center, 82 Holland St., in Rochester.
The bill would make household income irrelevant to Child Health Plus eligibility for children younger than 19 beginning Jan. 1, 2028. It also would eliminate required payments for eligible children from that date. Cooney's sponsor memo says the plan would use existing federal Medicaid programs while extending Child Health Plus to children in households above the income threshold for children's Medicaid.
Current eligibility rules can exclude children who have access to other health insurance. The bill would remove access to another plan as a disqualifying factor, although obtaining other coverage would still end Child Health Plus eligibility under the proposed language. It would also remove nonpayment of a premium as a reason to end coverage.
Temporary coverage during eligibility review
The legislation would allow a child to receive temporary Child Health Plus coverage while officials determine eligibility for Medicaid. That presumptive enrollment would generally last until a decision is made or two months pass, with an extension possible if a decision is delayed through no fault of the applicant. The provision is expressly subject to available federal financial participation and could be used once in a 12-month period.
For a child who becomes eligible for Medicaid after enrolling in Child Health Plus, the bill would extend the period of overlapping eligibility from three months to six months. It would also direct the state health commissioner to seek any necessary federal waivers or state-plan amendments.
The sponsor memo does not provide a cost estimate; it lists the bill's fiscal implications as undetermined. The memo argues that removing premiums and income restrictions would ease families' insurance costs, but it does not quantify savings under the proposed program.
Bill remains in committee
If enacted, the bill says it would take effect on the first January after becoming law, while its income-limit and payment changes are specifically set for Jan. 1, 2028. State officials would be authorized to prepare implementing rules before the law's effective date. Passage and any required federal approvals remain uncertain.
Cooney's office said local health care leaders will join him at Monday's announcement, including Frederick Johnson, interim president and CEO of Jordan Health; Larry Marx, CEO of The Children's Agenda; and Rochester pediatrician Matt Present. The advisory also lists a parent or child advocate as pending rather than confirmed.
The event is at the health center on Holland Street in Rochester. Cooney's office has not announced a vote date or a timetable for the bill to advance from the Rules Committee.
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