ALBANY—More lower income families would be eligible for the Family Health Plus program by removing depreciation of business assets from income eligibility calculations under legislation passed by the state Senate and sent to the Assembly.
“Programs like Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus have kept hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers healthy by making insurance available for those who otherwise can’t afford it,” said Little. “However, some families, particularly those of farmers and other self-employed individuals, have not qualified for Family Health Plus because the income calculation includes depreciated assets.”
Currently, when a family applies for insurance through the Family Health Plus program, the family income must be below a certain threshold (150 percent of the federal poverty level) for eligibility. Many families who are self-employed seemingly meet this threshold, yet are prevented from accessing the program as the family income, as stated on the program application forms, is required to include depreciation of business assets.
Little said farmers, in particular, are especially hard hit because of depreciation of expensive machinery, including tractors, combines and spreaders. While depreciation in income calculations may provide indications regarding the extent of farm machinery owed for necessary farm operation, it does not accurately reflect actual farm family income.
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