Lindy Washburn
The Record
8/23/2010
New health plans for the sick and uninsured that became available as a result of federal health care reform have been slow to enroll patients: just two people in New Jersey will begin receiving coverage today, the first day the plans take effect.
Called NJ Protect, the health plans are available to people who have been without insurance for at least six months and submit evidence of pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension or cancer. New Jersey is to receive $141 million in federal subsidies to cover claims that exceed the premiums paid by the beneficiaries.
“The program is very new, and information is still being disseminated and assimilated,” said Tom Vincz, a spokesman for Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, which is administering it.
“Based on the statistics on interest as well as application downloads [from the program’s website], we would expect that number to increase significantly over the next few weeks.”
Read the full story at PoliJam.
