Since 2008 we have been a voice for New Jersey health care consumers. We’ve worked on a number of issues to advance our core mission of increasing access to quality, affordable health care for all New Jerseyans. We have and will continue to work to build strong alliances with patients, providers and payers across the State to achieve that goal. Take a look at what we have achieved so far!
Our Impact
Increasing Patient Protections Against Medical Debt
1.5 million New Jersey residents struggle with medical debt, 22% of whom are in collections. The crisis also highlights longstanding racial and socio-economic inequities; 33% of New Jersey residents with medical debt who are in collections are part of communities of color, compared with 16% of residents in collections in white communities. On July 22, 2024, former Governor Phil Murphy signed the Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act. The Act protects New Jerseyans from many of the financial harms associated with medical debt by:
- Banning most medical debt from being reported to credit reporting agencies
- Imposing a 3% cap on the interest rate on all medical debt.
- Creating public notification requirements and parameters for provider payment plans.
- Prohibiting wages from being garnished for medical debt for patients below 600% of the Federal Poverty Level.
- Making reported medical debt, with exception of medical credit card debt, void as a penalty to the reporting entity and relieving the person of the obligation to pay it.
- Established parameters around Reasonable Payment Plans between patients and providers.
Prescription Drug Affordability Council
July 10, 2023—Former Governor Phil Murphy’s signing of a landmark prescription drug pricing reform bill. The new law establishes a Prescription Drug Affordability Council of experts who will identify cost drivers in the pharmaceutical system and create actionable policy recommendations for the state that will help rein in skyrocketing drug prices for New Jerseyans struggling to afford their prescriptions. The state joins 7 others across the country that have established similar entities. For more information, click here.
EZ Enrollment
On July 11, 2022, former Governor Phil Murphy signed the Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program legislation to improve access to ACA Marketplace coverage for residents. This program allows uninsured tax filers to be connected to ACA Marketplace coverage enrollment during tax time or through unemployment insurance benefit claims. For more information, click here.
Covering All Kids
Kids are more likely to succeed in school and have better health and economic outcomes as adults when they access to health care. On July 2, 2021, former Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that amended the NJ FamilyCare statute and improved and expanded coverage to more children and families.
The program was structured to allow children not currently eligible for CHIP to receive the same benefits at the same cost as children in CHIP. It also creates a pathway for those who exceed the current CHIP income threshold of 355% are able to buy-into the program. This program would also provide affordable, quality health coverage to populations not currently eligible for CHIP or ACA coverage – undocumented children, immigrants under the 5-year bar, DACA recipients, those in the family glitch etc.
Health Insurance Assessment
In July, 2020, former Governor Murphy signed legislation that replaces the federal assessment on health insurance carriers with a state-level requirement. These new revenues create the Health Insurance Affordability Fund used to lower the cost of health coverage through state-level subsidies. For more information, click here.
ACA Health Care Reform
On January 16, 2020, former Governor Phil Murphy signed a package of bills to safeguard the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in New Jersey. The bills, which will codify into state law the basic protections for health care consumers that are part of the Affordable Care Act, include protections for no-cost preventative care and contraception, prohibit exclusions for pre-existing conditions, allow children to stay on their parents’ plan until age 26, and incorporate mental health and maternity care as part of essential benefits, among others.
State Exchange
On June 28, 2019, former Governor Murphy signed legislation to establish a State-Based Health Exchange in New Jersey. The law allows New Jersey greater control over its health insurance market and the ability to establish stronger protections against sabotage of the Affordable Care Act. For more information, click here.
Out of Network/Surprise Medical Bills
On June 1, 2018, former Governor Murphy signed the Out Of Network Consumer Protection Act. Giving New Jersey one of the strongest consumer protection bills in the nation and becoming one of a handful of states to protect consumers from surprise medical bills. Patient protection improvements include increased transparency on costs and cost containments for out-of-network services. And provides a process of dispute resolution that take the consumer out of the middle of the dispute process. For more information, click here.
Fighting for Affordable Coverage
After winning the fight for national health care reform and passing the ACA in 2010, New Jersey partners succeeded in getting the Medicaid expansion which now insures over 500,000 working people. We continue to explore ways to expand coverage and affordability for all residents of the state.
