At a time when New Jerseyans are struggling to make ends meet, drastic cuts to state health care programs simply do not make sense. Not only will the cuts put uninsured residents at risk, but they could also deny the state millions of dollars in federal matching funds. Browse through our special health care section below, which includes information on the federal Affordable Care Act, and feel free to share your thoughts on this important topic.

Blogs

Proposed changes to NJ Medicaid program would wreak havoc on NJ FamilyCare
Proposed changes to the state’s Medicaid program through a “waiver” of federal rules governing the program would wreak havoc on NJ FamilyCare, bringing the total number of uninsured parents in working poor families denied health coverage to 93,000.

State losing out on 9-1 match
The governor has said his opposition to the family planning clinic grants has nothing to do with politics, but is based in his desire to be a responsible fiscal steward of the state’s scarce resources.

Taking the family out of NJ FamilyCare
If the governor has his way, New Jersey would have one of the nation’s most restrictive policies when it comes to the Medicaid program that provides affordable health insurance to working poor families who have no other option.

A fair exchange: Consumer driven health insurance
One of the most important provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the establishment in every state of a health insurance market place, called an “exchange.”

Reports

Good Medicine: The impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on New Jersey’s working families with children
NJPP’s report identifies specific benefits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and makes recommendations about how New Jersey can maximize its benefit under the new federal law.

Estimated Impact of Health Reform Bills Passed by the House and Senate on New Jersey
This report identifies the major provisions in the health reform bills and explains the impact of each provision in these bills on New Jersey. It also includes a breakout of the fiscal impact and the number of New Jerseyans who would likely benefit from these bills by county and congressional district.

The Right Rx for NJ: National Health Care Reform
It is important for New Jerseyans to understand what is going on in Congress to reform health care. What is lost in this debate is how health reform will affect typical working Americans.

A Step Backward: How Federal Rules Would Deny Health Insurance to New Jersey Children
Over five years, 35,000 fewer New Jersey children would have health coverage and the state would lose $215 million because of new rules that sharply limit states’ abilities to insure kids whose family income is above the limit set by the Bush administration.

Falling Short: Time to Keep the FamilyCare Promise
New Jersey’s program for providing health insurance to low-income children is falling short of its promise-especially for the poorest and for minorities, according to a new report.

Attention Shoppers: You Pay the Health Insurance Bills For Some of New Jersey’s Largest Employers
Some of the largest, most profitable retailers in the state also have the largest numbers of employees and their families covered by a state-run health insurance program for low-income New Jerseyans that has a price tag approaching $400 million in state and federal funds this year.

Media

The Record: Scalpel, not ax
The Christie administration has brought its zeal for slashing costs to the healthcare arena, with its new Medicaid proposal. The number-crunchers should have taken a more nuanced approach. Instead, they seem to have tackled the problem with all the vigor of an extreme sport.

Lautenberg, Menendez & Pallone voice opposition to Christie’s Medicaid plan
Three top New Jersey congressional leaders voiced opposition to Governor Chris Christie’s plan to dramatically restructure the state’s Medicaid program because the draconian cuts would result in the loss of medical care for tens of thousands of state residents.

Christie administration releases outline on how state plans to restructure Medicaid
The Christie administration released a long-anticipated outline Friday of how the state proposes to drastically restructure New Jersey’s Medicaid program and cut more than $300 million to help close a deficit.

New Jersey officials seek approval to change Medicaid structure
State health officials are seeking federal approval to significantly change the way New Jersey handles Medicaid, as Gov. Chris Christie’s administration looks to save $300 million on the health care program for low-income and disabled residents.

Christie eyes lower income limit for Medicaid eligibility
A single mother raising three children who earned as little as $118 a week would not qualify for the government-funded medical coverage.

Gov. Christie’s proposed income limits would cut Medicaid for working poor
The change would drive up charity care, the uncompensated care hospitals provide to people without insurance, Vitale said, and leave people hanging until 2014, when the federal health care reform law is expected to provide states a cash windfall to cover people without insurance.

N.J. plans to seek federal approval to reduce parent eligibility for FamilyCare health insurance
New Jersey plans to seek federal approval to reduce the number of parents eligible for a popular health insurance program aimed at poor working families, officials of the Department of Human Services said today.

The Affordable Care Act: One Year Later
Debate over the federal health care reform plan continues to rage in Congress, but at the state level work is quietly underway to implement the early elements of the law and to prepare for the more complex, controversial aspects still to come.

Report sees benefits for N.J. in health law
As opponents work to undo key provisions of the federal health reform law that passed last year, a progressive think-tank in New Jersey has released a report detailing the law’s anticipated benefits for working families.

Challenging N.J. FamilyCare in court
Legal immigrants now must live in the United States for at least five years before they can sign up for the New Jersey program.

More

Saving money, Saving lives: Maryland paves the way on payment reform
Community Catalyst and Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families created the States of Innovation blog series to shine a spotlight on states that are trying to find a better way to manage Medicaid.