subject: Healthy NY Eligibility Guidelines for Uninsured Employees [print this page] Healthy NY Eligibility Guidelines for Uninsured Employees
The primary role of health insurance is to protect your family from devastating financial problems in the event that a serious sickness strikes your family. In fact, having no health insurance is one of the top causes of bankruptcy. Also, purchasing a health insurance plan will give you lots of benefits in preventive care.
The usual health insurance one can get is from one's employer or a spouse's employer.
However, some companies or employers do not provide health insurance benefits. If you are one of these employees, you can be eligible for the Healthy New York program.
Healthy NY is a state-run insurance program that gives its members comprehensive medical benefits at a low premium rate.
So how do you know that an employer is "providing" a health insurance or not?
If your employer arranges for you to have a comprehensive group health insurance and contributes to the costs and the lost you may have, then he/she is providing you with a health insurance. A comprehensive group health insurance includes medical and hospital benefits but excludes other public health programs like Medicaid, Family Health Plus, and Child Health Plus. But if the benefits your employer provides are limited, then you could still apply for Health NY.
What are the qualifications to apply for Healthy NY?
First and foremost, you should be a NY state resident. You must live within the 28 counties of New York. If you are not a resident of NY, get in touch with your state's insurance department to know the options you have in your area.
You must NOT be eligible for Medicare, which is a federal health insurance usually for people 65 years old and above and for disabled persons. Otherwise, you can get information from the state's Senior Citizen Insurance Resource Center.
You and/or your spouse should have worked not more than 12 months or 52 weeks ago.
If you had remained uninsured for the last twelve months or lost or may lose your coverage for valid reasons, you qualify.
Income must be below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. But this income will depend on the number of people in your household. Adult children's incomes of the applicant do not have to be included in calculating the total household income. They are, instead, only required to list their income, and a spouse's income (if any), if applicable.
