To qualify for this program, children do not have to be U.S. citizens, just residents of New York State. Health care should be a basic right Almost 200,000 children are currently in Child Health Plus, but it is estimated that there are still about 650,000 children in New York State without health insurance. Many are children of legal immigrants. Most would qualify but their parents are not aware of the program s existence. Enrollment in Child Health Plus is easy and nonthreatening.
Parents can enroll children at local health centers or even by mail.
While Child Health Plus helps to provide coverage for children, it does not address the problem of adults without health care. But its passage remains uncertain. Meanwhile, emergency rooms are crowded with the uninsured, threatening a potential public health disaster of unprecedented proportions. Adequate, affordable health care should be a basic right. If we continue to deny Medicaid benefits to adult immigrants, New York City will soon face a health crisis of our own making.