BETTER CHOICES, BETTER CARE NJ STATEMENT ON GOV. MURPHY SIGNING NJ INDIVIDUAL MANDATE LEGISLATION INTO LAW

Edison – Better Choices, Better Care NJ spokesman Chris Donnelly issued the following statement today regarding Governor Murphy signing into law legislation that will create an individual health insurance mandate for the state of New Jersey:

“Chaos at the national level continues to threaten to make health care less affordable and accessible. When Washington first weakened and later moved to gut the federal individual mandate, it became crucial that New Jersey act on its own; without an individual mandate, hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans – including those most at risk – would see the price of coverage soar beyond reach.  As the leading voice for health care consumers in New Jersey, Better Choices, Better Care NJ was among the first to sound the warning bell by including a state individual mandate in the 15-point plan we released last fall. 

“Governor Murphy, Senator Vitale, Speaker Coughlin, and Assemblyman McKeon stepped in to provide the leadership needed on this issue. We thank them for doing the right thing and protecting New Jerseyans.”

In November 2017, Better Choices, Better Care NJ released a 15-point plan to improve health care in the state of New Jersey.  The plan lays out why these issues were selected, how leaving them unresolved negatively impacts New Jerseyans and what specific remedies are needed to fix them.  The report can be viewed at: “Moving New Jersey To Affordable, Quality Health Care.”

Among the issues laid out in the plan to help reduce costs are: having the state create its own individual mandate, so that premiums do not skyrocket as low-risk individuals leave the market; moving behavioral health aspects of Medicaid from a fee-for-service to a patient centered care model; moving behavioral health and substance use disorder services to the Medicaid Managed Care Program; and having transparency guidelines across all sectors and facets of health care, especially when it comes to consumer pricing.

Better Choices, Better Care NJ is a 501(c)4 public education project advocating for innovative ways to improve health, transform care and lower health care costs.  The advocacy organization helps consumers, employers and elected representatives examine, understand and harness the changing health care landscape to create the best outcomes possible for New Jersey.

For more information on Better Choices, Better Care NJ and how we can transform health care in New Jersey, log on to www.betterchoicesbettercarenj.com follow us on Twitter @BCBCNJ and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BetterChoicesBetterCareNJ.