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New Jersey Health Care & Denver Homelessness

By 3L at Seton Hall University School of Law and Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review.

Sarah Kershaw of The New York Times describes the effect of the tightening of SCHIP (State Children?s Health Insurance Program) in New Jersey. Kershaw notes that "New Jersey has long been one of the most aggressive states in the nation in throwing a wide safety net out for families." However, the federal government is tightening the income levels for recipients of SCHIP, a move that will eliminate health care coverage for approximately one million children across the country, and about eleven thousand in New Jersey. President Bush vetoed a bill that would have increased the upper income limit--currently at 2.5 times the poverty level--to provide coverage to children of families making three times the poverty level (about $61,000 for a family of four). In addition to Kershaw's reporting, Frank Pasquale at Concurring Opinions blends the insightful with the irreverent in several posts analyzing the failed SCHIP legislation.

On a related note, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on NJ state Senator Joe Vitale's planned legislation to require all New Jersey residents to carry health insurance. The article notes that "[f]our states have implemented some form of universal health coverage, and two dozen more are considering it." At this early stage, costs will likely prove to be the sticking point: Senator Vitale puts the cost of the program at $300 million; while Gov. Corzine (who offered similar proposal last year) puts the total at closer to $1 billion.

Also, The Los Angeles Times reports on a Denver initiative to reduce homelessness. The program offers substantial rental subsidies to homeless families, provided the family accepts the presence of life coaches to "teach the parents life skills: how to plan a household budget, advance at work, go back to school, find healthcare, shop wisely." The paternalism of the program is striking, though the grant is substantial enough to get families into decent, safe, and affordable housing. There's a lot to be said about a program of this sort, and I hope to see its merits debated at length.

* Photo from the NY Times.

Full post as published by Urban Law Journal on October 14, 2007 (boomark / email).