Atlantic City, NJ - The New Jersey Coalition for Affordable Hospitals hosted a press conference today highlighting growing support for their efforts to address the state’s healthcare affordability crisis.

The group announced that the New Jersey Municipal Managers Association, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and Teamsters Local 469  are joining the coalition, which, since its formation in 2022, has pushed for legislative solutions to address the root causes of high and rising healthcare costs.

“The rising cost of healthcare is impacting everyone, which is evident by the diverse support this legislation has maintained. It is not often you see these organizations – public and private, labor and management – unified on an issue, let alone behind a single piece of legislation.” said Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson. “Across the board, our communities are struggling to afford healthcare. This issue is only getting worse, which is why we invite everyone to be a part of the solution. We must take action to address New Jersey’s healthcare affordability crisis and begin to bring transparency and accountability to this opaque industry.”

This afternoon members of the coalition were joined by representatives from New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, New Jersey Municipal Managers Association and the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, who have signed on in support of A.5376/S.4299, which would codify and strengthen the Office of Healthcare Accountability and Transparency and establish an independent commission to set enforceable cost growth benchmarks for health care entities.

“When we talk about the cost of healthcare, and how to bring down costs for everyone, it’s a complex issue. There is no singular fix,” said Senator Joseph Vitale. “We need to continue the vital work that OHCAT was created for, and ensure the office is set up for success moving forward.  This legislation is the crucial first step, opening the door for more targeted reforms in the future, while establishing enforcement mechanisms to hold costs steady with inflation, providing a much-needed reprieve for employers and employees alike.”

A.5376/S.4299 is sponsored by Assemblywomen Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Carol Murphy, and Linda Carter, as well as Senators Joe Vitale and Vin Gopal. The bills were introduced to the legislature in January, and passed out of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee in June. The bills have gained several sponsors in both houses, indicating broad based support from the legislature.

“The rising cost of healthcare and hospital price increases we see year after year are simply not sustainable for everyday New Jerseyans,” said Mayor Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor of the City of Plainfield and President of the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association. “Unaffordable healthcare is inaccessible healthcare. When our neighbors are afraid to seek the care that they need because of how much it will cost, symptoms get worse, they get sicker, and the cycle continues. That's why I am proud to stand here alongside a diverse coalition of advocates who not only recognize the issue at hand, but are prepared to fight for a better way forward.”

“We’re doing everything we can in Newark to try and get healthcare costs under control, but it’s clear that this issue is much larger than us. Towns around the state are struggling to cover rising healthcare costs and families are struggling to afford care,” said Mayor Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark and Executive Board Member of the League of Municipalities. “This legislation offers the chance to pull back the curtain on the healthcare industry and finally begin to drill down on why costs are rising at such an unsustainable rate.”

“It’s extremely important to draw attention to what the real drivers of rising healthcare costs are,” said  Jillian Barrick, Business Administrator for the Town of Morristown, and the President of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association. “As a local municipal official and, quite frankly, a taxpayer and resident of New Jersey, we have to find solutions because this trajectory is simply unsustainable. A.5376/S.4299 provides a pathway to addressing the root cause of rising healthcare costs, rather than providing a temporary fix.”

Today’s announcement underscores the universality of the issue, bringing employer groups under the tent alongside advocacy groups and public and private sector unions.

“For small nonprofits, health insurance rate increases are not a starting point for negotiations, but rather an inevitability. A.5376/S.4299 represents an opportunity for transparency and predictability on healthcare costs that could ease the burden on employers of all shapes and sizes,” Jennifer Coffey, Executive Director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions. “The ripple effect of high costs is hurting everyone. For non-profits that can mean reduced community services and job losses. It doesn't have to be this way. With the passage of A.5376/S.4299, we can all come to the table to create a health insurance pricing structure with oversight that would protect everyone.”

The League of Municipalities, New Jersey Association of Counties and Main Street Alliance have also signed on in support of the bill.

“Representing the interests of New Jersey’s 21 county governments means constant vigilance against the unsustainable increases in health care costs and premiums,” said John Donnadio, Executive Director of the New Jersey Association of Counties. “While we are typically across the bargaining table from the unions represented in this Coalition, we are united on the healthcare affordability crisis and support A-5376/S-4299 as one of the solutions to providing long-term structural reforms to the State’s health benefits system.”

“I own Sandkamp Woodworks LLC, a custom cabinetry business in Jersey City, and I have four full time employees. I am also a member of the Main Street Alliance, a national network of small businesses that believe America is at its best when main street is strong. That can only happen when small businesses can afford to provide healthcare coverage to their employees.” said Tony Sandkamp, small business owner and Main Street Alliance New Jersey representative. “Health care costs are a number one issue for small business and I am thrilled to join this coalition in support of a first step solution A5376/S4299.”

The New Jersey Coalition for Affordable Hospitals, which formed in 2022, includes 32BJ SEIU, the New Jersey Education Association, Citizen Action, New Jersey Policemen’s Benevolent Association, Communication Workers of America, New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, the Rutgers chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the State Troopers Superior Officers Association, BlueWave NJ, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Working Families Party.