Paterson Would Insure Dependents Up to Age 29

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson will propose that private employers be required to offer health insurance to workers’ dependents who are ages 19 to 29, part of what the administration hopes will be a step toward universal health care coverage in New York.
Mr. Paterson plans to call for the legislation during his State of the State address on Wednesday afternoon.

“This year, we will take another important step as we move toward increasing access to coverage for all New Yorkers,” Mr. Paterson said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Currently, employers are not required to offer health insurance to dependents who are older than 18 or, if they are in college, 22.

The proposal would amount to a wide expansion of coverage to some 800,000 people 19 to 29 years old who are uninsured. And it ties into a continuing initiative by Mr. Paterson, who is asking the State Legislature to approve deep cuts in spending this year, to enhance the kinds of social safety nets that are overwhelmed during an economic downturn.

According to the governor’s office, 31 percent of New York’s uninsured are ages 19 to 29. Many of them lose coverage once they graduate from college and remain uninsured until they are able to find a job that offers health insurance. But as the job market worsens, the state anticipates that the issue will become more pressing, with more and more young people unemployed and uninsured.

If the Legislature approves the proposal, the state expects that about 10 percent, or 80,000 people, will take advantage of it.

Paterson administration officials said that the plan would not cost the state or businesses anything. The only cost would be to families that chose to pay for the expanded coverage.

Kenneth Adams, president of the Business Council of New York State, a group that represents businesses across New York and was briefed on the plan by the governor’s advisers, called the proposal “compelling” and said that it would be especially critical given the economic climate.

“Out of the gate, a program that gets 80,000 New Yorkers health insurance is a good thing,” Mr. Adams said. “Considering where the economy is right now, and that by definition this is a tough period for this age group to obtain insurance, it is a very important issue.”

Mr. Paterson’s legislation would round out proposals to expand access to health care that he laid out in his budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year, which begins on April 1.

One proposal would simplify the application process for public health insurance programs by eliminating the requirement for face-to-face interviews, among other things. Another proposal would expand eligibility for the state’s Family Health Plus insurance program, which covers people who exceed the limits for Medicaid eligibility.