A pilot program at nine New Jersey hospitals promises that no newborns will leave the hospital without health insurance, the state Department of Health and Senior Services has announced.
New Jersey Hospital Association President Betsy Ryan joined hospital leaders, DHSS Commissioner Heather Howard and Human Services Commissioner Jen Velez at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., to announce the joint effort last Friday.
Under the "Insured For Sure" Hospital Newborn Pilot Program, hospital staff will verify that newborns have insurance coverage. The hospital will submit data to DHSS, confirming the child's insurance status. Families without insurance will be guided through the enrollment process and submit a streamlined one-page NJ FamilyCare application immediately to the Department of Human Services.
"NJ FamilyCare can give New Jersey's children a healthy start in life, but there remains a number of families that fail to enroll," said Ryan. "Our hospitals are pleased to partner with the state in this collaborative effort to identify uninsured families, chip away at the obstacles they encounter and help them enroll their children in a healthcare coverage plan."
The hospitals participating in the six-month pilot program are Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, Capital Health System in Trenton, Cooper Health System in Camden, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point and the Voorhees campus of the Virtua-West Jersey Hospital.