BETTER CHOICES, BETTER CARE NJ STATEMENT ON RUTGERS-EAGLETON/NJHCQI POLL SHOWING NEW JERSEYANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH CARE COSTS

Edison – Better Choices, Better Care NJ spokesman Chris Donnelly issued the following statement today regarding a poll released by Rutgers-Eagleton and the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute showing New Jerseyans remain concerned about the cost of health care:

“Over the last year, Better Choices, Better Care NJ has engaged directly with over 40,000 consumers.  This poll is indicative of what we have been hearing directly from them on a constant basis: they remain deeply concerned about the cost of health care in New Jersey. Moreover, they are looking for greater opportunities – more choices – for lower cost options in the marketplace. What we need to do now is take the next step and address many of the issues that inflate costs and prevent New Jerseyans from getting the kind of care they need, deserve and can actually afford.

“Health care continues to remain a topic of intense national debate, but without yielding any significant positive policy changes to lower cost or improve care.  This is why our organization created our 15-point plan, ‘Moving New Jersey To Affordable, Quality Health Care.’  Unless we do something, and soon, to address costs, we will keep seeing poll results such as these.”

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.