Expanded Family Health Plus Benefits Farmers And Small Business Owners

by Contributor | June 22, 2008 9:16 pm

By Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine

When Family Health Plus was born seven years ago it brought comprehensive health coverage to many New Yorkers who had little or no access to quality affordable health care. It was a significant win in the battle to provide health care to hundreds of thousands of uninsured adults earning too much to qualify for Medicaid.

However, the program left many self-employed New Yorkers out of the loop, even though it seemed they should have been eligible based on their income. I’m proud to say we have passed legislation to change that. Farmers and small business owners who had been shut out of the program because depreciation of assets pushed them over the income threshold will soon be eligible.

This is similar to legislation that passed last year to make farmers eligible, but the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services said that law was to narrow. This new bill takes depreciation of assets out of the income calculation for all New Yorkers. I sponsored the initial legislation in the Assembly to bring farmers into the fold and I’m excited to have supported this new bill to widen the scope of who can be insured by Family Health Plus.

Under the current rules, a couple earning less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or $21,000, with farm machinery might show an income of say $65,000 when you factor in the depreciating value of that expensive machinery. This makes them ineligible, but once the governor signs this into law only the real income for our small business owners and farmers will be used to calculate their eligibility. This means the small farmers who help put food on our tables and the small businesses owners that make up the foundation of our economy will have access to preventative and primary care, hospitalization, prescription coverage and more.

This bill is just one of many important pieces of legislation coming up for a vote before the end of session. This column had to be submitted before we recess for summer, but I’m optimistic that by the time you read this we will have accomplished much of what this Legislature needs to do.

In the meantime, I’d like to use this opportunity to mark the official beginning of our summer. Like many of you, I see outdoor recreation in our region as an important component to our quality of life. Whether you hunt, fish, trap, or enjoy some combination of any number of outdoor activities, Central and New York has so much to offer. Our deer hunting in the fall is heralded in publications across this country and our fishing has made the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario home to some of the biggest professional competitions.

Since the third weekend in June marks the beginning of bass season, I hope you take the time to cast your line in the river or lake to snag yourself a small or large mouth bass. I’m committed to staying in Albany as long as we need to stay there to pass important legislation, but like many of you, I’m looking forward to getting out on the water. I’m a lifelong fisherman and I’ve yet to put “The Wooden Lion,” my restored 1961 Lyman boat, in the river by my home in Cape Vincent. Few things can build bonds among friends and family as well as spending time with each other on the water.

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