Federal Money To Buy Health Insurance

By KRWG News

Texas – A state official says a five-year, $50 million federal grant will assist employees of small businesses in purchasing health insurance.

The new executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Tom Suehs, said in a statement Monday that the project will stretch "limited taxpayer dollars to insure more Texans."

The state will contribute 20 percent in matching funds.

Workers earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which is about $66,000 for a family of four, would be eligible for the money.

Three programs are scheduled to start in the next year or so and their participants will be eligible for the health insurance purchases. The programs are Healthy Texas, TexHealth Coalition and Community First Health Plan.

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Information from:

Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.