| Many low income
children in New Jersey are eligible for free or low-cost
health insurance - often including dental care - but their
families don't know about it.
An estimated
200,000 children are eligible but haven't enrolled in the
program, called NJ FamilyCare.
NJ FamilyCare
currently covers more than 500,000 New Jersey children 18
and younger and certain parents.
Families at or
below 350% of the federal poverty level (up to $70,000
annually for a family of four) may apply.
The program
receives state and federal funding. It covers:
- Dental (for
most kids)
- Doctor visits
- Eyeglasses
-
Hospitalization
- Lab tests
- X-rays
- Prescriptions
- Regular
checkups
- Mental health
To apply, parents
should call (800) 701-0710. Interpreters are available to
help non-English-speaking applicants. The application is
also available on the Web site, where users can access
information in 12 languages.
For more
information, visit the NJ FamilyCare web site at
www.njfamilycare.org.
Sidebar:
Children in Low Income Families Face Unmet Dental Needs
Many children
rarely visit the dentist because their families cannot
afford it. They often face oral health problems as a
result.
According to the
Child Trends Data Bank:
- More than 50%
of children without health insurance have not seen a
dentist in the past year.
- One in five
children without dental insurance needs dental care but
doesn't receive it because of financial reasons. In
contrast, only 4% of children with private insurance and
8% of children with public insurance have unmet dental
needs.
Oral health
problems in children are associated with:
- Problems
eating, speaking and sleeping.
- Poor social
relationships
- Difficulty
concentrating
- Poor
self-image
- Academic
problems
For more
information, visit the Child Trends Data Bank at
http://childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/82UnmetDentalNeeds.cfm. |
