More than 727,000 New Jerseyans currently lack health insurance, and that number will grow dramatically as Congress eliminates $500 million in marketplace subsidies and imposes new Medicaid work requirements, according to a new report from New Jersey Policy Perspective.
Most uninsured New Jerseyans work jobs considered “essential” during COVID — retail cashiers, farm workers, construction workers — but their employers don’t provide health coverage. Immigrant residents are nearly 9 times more likely to be uninsured than native-born citizens.
“We have proof that policy solutions work,” said Brittany Holom-Trundy, Research Director at New Jersey Policy Perspective and author of the report. “The ACA brought coverage to 515,000 more New Jerseyans since 2014. GetCovered NJ enrollment more than tripled. Medicaid expansion covered nearly 390,000 people who fell through the cracks. Federal cuts now threaten to reverse all this progress.”
Key findings:
- Enhanced federal subsidies expired, eliminating $500 million that helped New Jersey residents afford marketplace coverage through GetCovered NJ
- New Medicaid work requirements starting in 2027 will kick eligible people off coverage through paperwork barriers. Evidence from Arkansas shows these requirements don’t increase employment
- Federal lawmakers are eliminating coverage options for immigrants, who already face the highest barriers to affordable insurance
- The ACA worked: 515,000 more New Jerseyans gained coverage since 2014. GetCovered NJ enrollment tripled to 513,217
The report calls on state leaders to expand subsidies, fix enrollment systems, create a public option, and ensure equal access across counties.
“Congress is abandoning working families who were on the front lines during the pandemic,” said Holom-Trundy. “State leaders have the tools to counter these federal cuts. The question now is whether they’ll act before families are pushed into crisis.”
Read the full report at NJPP.org
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