Topic Category: Health

Harm Reduction Programs Provide Lifesaving, Critical Care to New Jersey Residents

Posted on by Marleina Ubel

Good morning, Chairman Conaway, Vice-Chairwoman Jimenez, and members of the committee. My name is Marleina Ubel and I am a Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP). Thank you for this opportunity to submit testimony on New Jersey’s expansion of harm reduction programs (A4847).

NJPP works to improve the lives of all New Jersey residents through research and advocacy; in line with this mission, we support A4847. This bill helps to ensure that every person has access to the lifesaving and evidence-based resources harm reduction services provide.

Even before the pandemic, New Jersey faced an alarming overdose crisis where far too many residents lost their lives. I imagine we all know of at least one person — whether it be a family member, friend, or community member — who did not get the care they needed before it was too late. Now, this crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic, and New Jerseyans who use drugs are dying at greater rates than ever before. And while New Jersey is not alone in facing these concurrent crises, our state has one of the highest rates of fatal overdose since the start of the pandemic.

Harm reduction programs reduce the risk of overdose as those who have access to these programs are 5-times more likely to start drug treatment programs and 3-times more likely to stop chaotic substance use. Moreover, individuals with access to harm reduction programs are half as likely to acquire HIV or Hepatitis C as those who do not have access to harm reduction programs, increasing the overall health of our communities.

In a state with 9 million residents, there are only seven harm reduction programs. The Legislature can take steps to prevent unnecessary loss of life and reduce the spread of infectious disease by voting yes on A4847.  It is well past time to decriminalize public health and make harm reduction services available to those who are most in need.

Thank you for your time and the opportunity to testify.

It’s Time to Decriminalize Syringes and Expunge Past Records

Posted on by Marleina Ubel

Good morning, Chairman Mukherji, Vice-Chairwoman Murphy, and members of the committee. My name is Marleina Ubel and I am a Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP). Thank you for this opportunity to submit testimony on New Jersey’s decriminalization of syringes and expungement of past records (A5458).

As I am sure you are aware, NJPP works to create a more equitable state for New Jersey residents through research and advocacy. In line with this mission, we support A5458. This bill is a step towards breaking the cycle of punishment, debt, and stigma for people living with a substance use disorder.

Syringes are also public health tools. Access to new syringes reduces the risk of skin infections and infectious diseases, such as, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. Criminalizing syringes also puts first responders at greater risk for infections because people have to hide or improperly dispose of syringes due to fear of arrest.

Despite New Jersey law legalizing the purchase of syringes without a prescription, New Jerseyans continue to be charged for syringe possession, creating a system where people are arrested for possessing public health supplies that were legally purchased.

The Legislature can take steps to break the cycle of criminalization and reduce the spread of infectious disease by voting yes on A5458.

Thank you for your time and the opportunity to testify.

New Jersey’s Uninsured: Getting the Garden State Covered

Posted on by Brittany Holom-Trundy

Open enrollment for the New Jersey health insurance marketplace, GetCoveredNJ, officially began on November 1st for the 2022 coverage year.[i] With expanded financial aid through state subsidies and the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid Expansion, health insurance affordability continues to improve for the Garden State’s low- and middle-income residents.[ii] Yet, for many, challenges to getting and maintaining coverage persist. On top of pre-pandemic disparities in health coverage and the unequal impact of the pandemic, the looming end of federal public health emergency (PHE) assistance could exacerbate health coverage disparities.[iii]

This report looks at data from the past year to examine trends in who remains uninsured and who would benefit or be harmed by changes in public health insurance policies. The findings show that health coverage rates differ across racial, age, income, education, and geographic lines. Structural inequalities — such as limited access to affordable coverage through jobs, difficulties saving due to low wages, and transportation challenges — reduce access to coverage options and perpetuate health insurance inequities. The report ends with recommendations to bridge coverage barriers through improved outreach, communication, and affordability.

Hispanic/Latinx and Black Residents Continue to Face Barriers to Coverage

Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), uninsured rates for families of color have improved significantly.[iv] Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state efforts have helped get and keep people enrolled in health care coverage through policies like continuous coverage in Medicaid and increased premium subsidies for Marketplace plans.[v] However, as federal relief policies end, the increased risk of coverage loss disproportionately harms Hispanic/Latinx and Black residents, many of whom were already at greater risk of being uninsured before the pandemic.

In New Jersey, Hispanic/Latinx and Black residents remain most vulnerable to changes in federal and state coverage policy due to eligibility restrictions and disparities in access to employer-based insurance. Rooted in a history of systemic racism and structural inequalities in access to coverage, families of color face disproportionate barriers to health care. For instance, Hispanic/Latinx and Black residents are more likely to be employed in part-time jobs that lack benefits and affordable coverage or have their hours cut below benefit thresholds.[vi] Additionally, Black residents are most likely to get their coverage through public programs because of limitations on access to employer-based coverage.

Undocumented immigrants have also been left behind throughout the pandemic, as they remain ineligible for Medicaid or Marketplace coverage — the very programs that have helped so many families keep their coverage.

Residents with Limited Access to Employer-Based Coverage are More Likely to Lack Health Insurance Coverage

Employers who pay low wages rarely provide robust health insurance benefits. For instance, just 24 percent of U.S. workers in the lowest wage jobs had access to medical benefits through their employer in 2019.[vii] Consequently, if low-paid workers don’t qualify for Medicaid, they must make tough choices about costly health insurance options.

If a worker’s employer-based plan remains within the ACA’s affordability threshold (9.83 percent of household income for 2021), additional family coverage often costs significantly more.[viii] This is due to what is called a “family glitch,” when a workers’ individual insurance option qualifies as “affordable,” and, as a result, their family members are not eligible for subsidies on the Marketplace. Currently, around 55,000 New Jerseyans are stuck in this “family glitch,” with no access to affordable family coverage.[ix]

Structural inequities exist not only in access to employer-based coverage but also with public coverage options. Due to less flexible or unpredictable work hours, limited access to transportation, and fewer resources for information, those most in need of public coverage also have the most obstacles to obtain that coverage.[x]

For low-income residents making less than $25,000 per year, the harms caused by these obstacles to coverage are stark. Low-income residents are three times more likely to be uninsured than someone making between $50,000 and $74,999, and six times more likely than someone making between $100,000 and $149,999.

Additionally, residents with less than a high school diploma are eight times more likely to be uninsured than someone with at least a Bachelor’s degree. The same patterns follow for public health coverage: residents with less than a high school diploma are twice as likely to be enrolled in public coverage than those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. In contrast, those making less than $25,000 are three times more likely to be enrolled in public coverage than those who make between $100,000 and $149,999.

Young Adults Remain Most Uninsured Age Group, Despite Pandemic Efforts

In addition to income and education playing an outsized role in health insurance coverage, age is also a determining factor. Young adults in New Jersey are more likely to be uninsured and less likely than other age groups to participate in a public insurance program. There are several reasons why young people are more likely to struggle to get covered: lack of access to employer-based coverage, less stable employment as they first enter the workforce, a lack of knowledge about affordable options after losing coverage through their parents’ insurance at 26, and fewer savings and a greater need for help from family with regular bills.[xi]

Coverage Rates Vary Widely Across Counties

While Household Pulse Survey data from this past year only provides state-level estimates, pre-pandemic coverage rates showed significant differences in coverage across counties. Counties that have more families with lower incomes, limited access to employer coverage, or restrictions on coverage due to immigration status were more likely to see higher numbers of uninsured residents, especially for their working-age adults. Uninsured rates for this group range from a low of 3.6 percent in Sussex County to a high of 19.8 percent in Passaic County.

Recommendations: Outreach and Enrollment Efforts Should Boost Health Coverage

Barriers to health coverage keep thousands of New Jerseyans uninsured, leaving residents unable to access or afford needed care. To address coverage gaps and get people access to the care they need, state leaders should take several proactive steps:

Plan Diverse Communications and Outreach Initiatives

As state officials and Navigator organizations begin to help participants research and understand their coverage options, they should plan to actively address existing disparities in coverage. Taking into account who is uninsured and the specific channels of communication they may turn to for information — such as community, family, medical leaders, social media, or information sessions with bilingual options — will help connect New Jerseyans with coverage in a way that meets their needs.

Simplify Enrollment Processes

Many New Jerseyans who are eligible for public insurance programs, like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), face obstacles to enrollment through onerous documentation requirements, difficulty reaching a live person for questions about the process, and language barriers. The time required to overcome these challenges, particularly when many families may be applying to other programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), prohibits many New Jerseyans from enrolling, even when they are eligible. Creating an Easy Enrollment system can help to connect more New Jerseyans with affordable coverage. This system can provide residents with their health coverage options if they check a box on their tax forms, ensure automatic enrollment for those who are eligible for Medicaid, and share information about coverage options whenever a change in circumstances, like unemployment, occurs. Additionally, streamlining data-sharing across public programs can help to lessen the time required for applicants by reducing duplication of documentation efforts.

Expand Eligibility to Medicaid and CHIP

Only when all New Jerseyans are eligible for affordable health insurance will we be able to achieve universal coverage. By fully implementing the Cover All Kids initiative passed in June 2021, expanding Medicaid coverage to all residents, providing GetCoveredNJ plan options for undocumented immigrants, and restructuring the plan system to ensure that no segregation in the options or quality of care exists, state leaders can ensure that New Jersey fully embodies the value of health care as a human right.

 

End Notes

[i] GetCoveredNJ. Official website. https://www.nj.gov/getcoverednj/

[ii] GetCoveredNJ. “Get Financial Help.” https://nj.gov/getcoverednj/financialhelp/gethelp/

[iii] New Jersey Policy Perspective (2021). “Maintaining Continuous Medicaid Coverage After the Pandemic Would Advance Health Equity.” https://www.njpp.org/publications/blog-category/maintaining-continuous-medicaid-coverage-after-the-pandemic-would-advance-health-equity/

[iv] NJ Spotlight (2020). “Affordable Care Act Has Upped Racial Equity in NJ’s Health Care Coverage, Access.”. https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2020/01/boosting-racial-equity-in-njs-health-care-coverage-access/

[v] Ibid.

[vi] New Jersey Policy Perspective (2021). “Labor Day Snapshot: New Jersey’s Uneven Recovery.” https://www.njpp.org/publications/report/labor-day-snapshot-new-jerseys-uneven-recovery/

[vii] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020). “Lower-wage workers less likely than other workers to have medical care benefits.” Data examines private Industry employment in 2019. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/lower-wage-workers-less-likely-than-other-workers-to-have-medical-care-benefits-in-2019.htm

[viii] Healthinsurance.org (2021). “How Millions were Left Behind by ACA’s ‘Family Glitch’.” https://www.healthinsurance.org/obamacare/no-family-left-behind-by-obamacare/

[ix] Urban Institute (2021). “Changing the “Family Glitch” Would Make Health Coverage More Affordable for Many Families.” https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104223/changing-the-family-glitch-would-make-health-coverage-more-affordable-for-many-families.pdf

[x] Brookings Institute (2020). “Unpredictable work hours and volatile incomes are long-term risks for American workers.” https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/08/18/unpredictable-work-hours-and-volatile-incomes-are-long-term-risks-for-american-workers/; Urban Institute (2020). “Access to Opportunity through Equitable Transportation.” https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/102992/access-to-opportunity-through-equitable-transportation_0.pdf; Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (2018). “Accessing Economic Opportunity: Public Transit, Job Access, and Equitable Economic Development in Three Medium-Sized Regions.” https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/community-development/reports/accessing-economic-opportunity/1218-accessing-economic-opportunity.pdf

[xi] Urban Institute (2021). “Impacts of the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion on Health Insurance Coverage and Health Care Access among Young Adults.” https://www.urban.org/research/publication/impacts-acas-medicaid-expansion-health-insurance-coverage-and-health-care-access-among-young-adults; Pew Research Center (2019). “Majority of Americans Say Parents Are Doing Too Much for Their Young Adult Children.” https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/10/23/majority-of-americans-say-parents-are-doing-too-much-for-their-young-adult-children/

Expanding Medicaid to New Mothers Will Keep Families Healthy and Reduce Racial Disparities

Posted on by Brittany Holom-Trundy

Earlier today, New Jersey became the second state in the nation to provide Medicaid expansion to new mothers 365 days postpartum. The new policy, announced by First Lady Tammy Murphy and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, follows a request by the state to expand Medicaid coverage to advance racial equity in infant and maternal health. In response to today’s announcement, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) releases the following statement.

Brittany Holom-Trundy, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“Building a strong economy that works for everyone starts with providing new parents and their children the support they need. By expanding Medicaid coverage for a full year after birth, New Jersey will keep families healthy and reduce racial disparities in maternal health. This is one of the single best investments we can make to improve long-term health outcomes and set children up for success later in life. To ensure no families are left behind from these benefits, lawmakers should further expand access to Medicaid coverage to all New Jersey adults, regardless of where they were born.”

Read more about the benefits of maintaining continuous Medicaid coverage here.

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Maintaining Continuous Medicaid Coverage After the Pandemic Would Advance Health Equity

Posted on by Brittany Holom-Trundy

Medicaid provides a crucial safety net for families experiencing economic hardship and saves thousands of lives during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. With the federal pandemic public health emergency (PHE) extended again on October 15th, but expected to expire in early 2022, the upcoming return to pre-pandemic redetermination processes and rules on continuous enrollment threatens families’ health insurance coverage.

Thousands of New Jerseyans at Risk of Losing Health Coverage

Thousands of New Jerseyans have turned to NJ FamilyCare, New Jersey’s Medicaid program, for health coverage and stability during the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, non-elderly enrollment in Medicaid grew an average of 1.9 percent per month during the first months of the pandemic. Many New Jerseyans were able to maintain continuous Medicaid coverage, regardless of changes in circumstances, thanks to federal pandemic relief policies.

New Medicaid applications have now fallen below pre-pandemic levels, a positive sign and reflection of how pandemic relief policies have protected many of those who may otherwise have exited and then re-entered Medicaid in a short period of time due to unstable employment and income.

Continuous Coverage Kept New Jerseyans Insured Amid Spike in Unemployment - Graph

However, around 320,000 New Jerseyans will lose Medicaid coverage in 2022 with the reintroduction of eligibility processes and the end of continuous coverage, resulting in a 19 percent decrease in enrollment compared to the end of 2021. Disenrollment from NJ FamilyCare will jeopardize health insurance for residents with low incomes. It will also disproportionately threaten the coverage of Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and mixed race families, who are disproportionately represented in the program and are more likely to experience housing and employment instability, limiting their ability to complete redetermination processes that require extensive and onerous documentation, workday commitments, or mailed notifications.

To Prioritize Equity, New Jersey Must Plan Proactively

The harms created by the sudden end of the PHE and return to normal eligibility processes necessitate state plans that center health equity. New Jersey decision makers can reduce adverse effects with several measures:

Use a 12-Month Timeline for Disenrollments

Guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allows states to take up to 12 months to return to normal income eligibility after the month in which the PHE ends, but states may choose to implement this more quickly. A slower rate for disenrollment would allow more time for beneficiaries to complete the redetermination process, fully understand their other options if they are no longer eligible, and plan for next steps in maintaining health insurance coverage.

Create and implement a communication strategy that meets people where they’re at

Complicated forms, extensive documentation requirements, and language access issues make it difficult for Medicaid beneficiaries to meet the necessary requirements of redetermination, even if they are still eligible. Actively addressing these barriers through strategies like pre-populated forms, state officials can better serve the diverse population that relies on Medicaid.

Partner with Navigator organizations and other community groups to amplify messaging and build trust

Many New Jerseyans turn to community organizations and local leaders that they trust for health insurance information. By following a structured, data-driven plan that includes clear guidance and resources for outreach to Navigators, the state can use communication channels that already exist and reach many residents who may otherwise miss the department’s messaging.

Explore Continuous Coverage, Autorenewal, and Other Coverage Opportunities

Addressing instability in Medicaid coverage requires advancing technology and policies that provide greater flexibility under changing circumstances. The state can explore a Section 1115 demonstration waiver to extend Medicaid’s 12-month continuous eligibility to adults, similar to the coverage currently provided to children. It can also improve data-sharing across state departments to simplify and efficiently process automatic renewals. Finally, clear communication or easy transfers to other insurance options for those determined to be ineligible for Medicaid — as many will be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or subsidized marketplace coverage through GetCoveredNJ — can help keep families covered.

Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools Helps Students Succeed

Posted on by Peter Chen

Healthy air quality has long been a concern in New Jersey’s schools, especially in aging buildings with antiquated ventilation systems. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has put an even greater spotlight on school air quality. As students return to the classroom across the state for in-person instruction, public health experts have highlighted ventilation as an important preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19, alongside vaccination, mask-wearing, and physical distancing. CDC research showed that COVID-19 rates were roughly 40 percent lower in schools that reported implementing measures to improve ventilation.  As a result, many districts have prioritized ventilation in their reopening plans, including filtration and air purification.

Improved Air Quality Helps Students Learn Better

Air quality improvements may pay dividends beyond reducing COVID-19 exposure. Research has shown that reductions in indoor air quality coincide with decreases in test performance in school. This is particularly concerning for the many New Jersey school children who live in areas with low outdoor air quality due to proximity to highways, busy intersections, and industrial facilities. One study found that 13.8% of New Jersey schools are within 250 meters of a major roadway, with high-poverty schools eligible for Title I funding 67% more likely to be near a major roadway than their higher-income counterparts. Although less obvious than curriculum or teaching staff, improving indoor air quality may be an important, if overlooked, component of student and teacher performance.

New Jersey School Implementation Of Air Quality Standards Can Vary

Like all public buildings, New Jersey public schools are governed by the state’s indoor air quality standards, N.J.A.C. 12:100-13.1 (2007). The State has issued guidance summarizing these requirements and providing recommendations for improving ventilation. This standard requires checking whether carbon dioxide levels exceed 1,000 parts per million, which may require regular carbon dioxide monitoring. However, implementing these standards is largely dependent on proactive approaches by individual school districts and boards of education, and some of these changes can be expensive, especially changes to a school building’s ventilation system.

Resources Are Available For School Districts To Improve Their Ventilation And Air Quality

Federal funding through the American Rescue Plan can be used on physical ventilation improvements and improved airflow in school buildings, including HVAC system upgrades, filters or filtration devices, and carbon dioxide and other air quality measurement devices. Guidance is available here.

New Jersey has also dedicated some of its American Rescue Plan funds at the state level to school districts for additional improvements in ventilation, thanks to new legislation signed in August. This program will be managed by the Board of Public Utilities. The draft program guide for this program is available here.

If local lawmakers and school board officials take advantage of these new resources, the current focus on ventilation and airflow in schools could result in substantial improvements for student and school staff well-being, as well as academic performance.

Pandemic Relief Funds Must Be Used to Dismantle Racial, Gender, and Economic Inequities

Posted on by Sheila Reynertson

The following testimony on American Rescue Plan funds was delivered before Governor Murphy’s American Rescue Plan virtual hearing on July 28, 2021. 

Good morning. I’m Sheila Reynertson and am a Senior Policy Analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a member of the For the Many NJ coalition. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on how best to administer the remaining $4 billion in Fiscal Recovery Funds (FRF) made available through the federal American Rescue Plan.

NJPP is fully aligned with the U.S. Treasury’s recommendation to use these flexible funds to “foster a strong, inclusive, and equitable recovery, especially with long-term benefits for health and economic outcomes.” The most effective way to achieve such a goal is to target aid to those most in need and begin dismantling racial, gender, and economic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic.

Here are a few essential ways to make the most of this opportunity. For more recommendations, please refer to the letter signed by organizations of the For the Many coalition.

Strengthen the Social Safety Net

New Jersey must be aggressive in reversing the pervasive barriers that keep the safety net out of reach for some families and allow poverty to remain widespread. Benefit programs are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to navigate for residents already under extreme stress. Unnecessary red tape for those struggling to find a job, feed their kids, or manage a health crisis is both punitive and regressive.

NJPP recommends using FRF dollars to spearhead a robust outreach campaign and application assistance for all social safety net and support services, targeting communities that face systemic barriers to learning about and accessing support programs, including immigrants and people of color with low-incomes as well as families in deep poverty who are less likely to owe and file taxes and, as result, may miss out on tax credits for low-paid workers and their families.

Provide Direct Cash Assistance to Residents Who Need It Most

Second, NJPP recommends using relief funds to stabilize residents facing hardship and keep their children safe from the long-term effects of deep poverty. The most straightforward way to boost household income of families who are living paycheck to paycheck is to provide direct cash payments with no strings attached — and regardless of immigration status. In fact, one targeted population that must be included is the nearly a half million undocumented immigrants who have been excluded from almost every form of state and federal relief for the past seventeen months. New Jersey can provide relief to these residents by fully funding the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund.

Support Low-Paid Essential Workers with Bonus Pay

It can’t be said enough: Those who worked outside of their home during the pandemic providing critical services like health care and food production were overwhelmingly women and people of color — and they often went without basic health and safety protections, paid leave, or hazard pay. These workers deserve recognition through fair compensation, yet they have been repeatedly overlooked in federal relief and recovery legislation. New Jersey can rectify this using FRF dollars to provide bonus pay to those with limited income and those who worked in difficult and often dangerous conditions so the rest of us could quarantine safely at home.

Advance Health Equity

Past policies and continuing racism in health care — the effects of which were on full display during the COVID-19 pandemic — have disproportionately burdened Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and indigenous populations. The physical and emotional toll of such disparity will be felt for years to come. NJPP recommends using FRF dollars to break down barriers and expand access to high-quality and affordable mental health care services for adults and children through provider recruitment efforts, insurance expansion, and improved Medicaid reimbursement. To reach chronically underserved low-income areas and Black and Hispanic/Latinx communities, fund mental health outreach efforts through community-based organizations. To reach pandemic-stressed students in high-poverty schools, provide enhanced payments for behavioral screenings and school counselors and mental health professionals.

Incorporate Racial Impact Analysis into Selection Process and Data Collection

Finally, even with the best of intentions, New Jersey’s distribution of these recovery funds is likely to exacerbate racial injustice without intentional strategies to do otherwise. To demonstrate a commitment to an equitable recovery, NJPP recommends that racial equity impact assessments be produced for FRF grants that have a potential racial impact. New Jersey can also foster a culture of advancing racial and gender equity by improving its data collection with data on gender, race, and ethnicity. By modernizing the IT infrastructure across departments, New Jersey can enhance the quality of administrative data to better evaluate existing programs and demonstrate transparency.

These recommendations would make the biggest difference in providing long-term benefits for communities most at risk of being left behind and laying the groundwork for a more prosperous future for all New Jersey families.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify today.

NJPP Applauds Signing of Landmark Bills to Prevent Lead Poisoning

Posted on by Peter Chen

Earlier today, Governor Murphy signed landmark legislation that will help put an end to lead poisoning in New Jersey. The three new laws mark a shift away from piecemeal approaches towards more comprehensive solutions to lead poisoning. Rather than wait for lead hazards to emerge, these bills shift to a preventive approach: identifying, disclosing and eliminating lead in homes and water pipes. In response to the signing of these bills, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) releases the following statement.

Peter Chen, Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“These new laws represent a sea change in how a state can combat lead poisoning. New Jersey is now the first state in the country with a hard target to eliminate lead service lines in ten years, as well as a funding mechanism to finance that investment.

“New Jersey needs robust infrastructure to protect its residents, especially children, and provide safe and healthy homes to future generations. The new laws recognize that lead is a problem across housing infrastructure, including both water infrastructure and paint.

“We are one step closer to ending lead’s toxic legacy in our state thanks to this legislation. NJPP sincerely thanks Governor Murphy and the bill sponsors for their tireless efforts to ensure that these bills became law: Assemblyman Gary Schaer, Senator Troy Singleton, Senator Teresa Ruiz, and Assemblyman Jamel Holley. NJPP also thanks the committed advocates who supported these efforts, including Isles, Inc., the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, and the member organizations of the Lead in Drinking Water Task Force convened by Jersey Water Works.”

The three bills are:

A5343: Requires public community water systems to inventory and replace lead service lines within 10 years, including informing residents if their service line contains lead; provides for recoupment of costs by investor-owned public water systems and allows the costs to be shared among all customers.

A5407: Removes restrictions on special assessments and bond issuances for replacement of residential lead service lines, including replacement of the resident’s section of the service line.

S1147: Requires lead paint inspection on certain residential rental property within two years, as well as upon tenant turnover; establishes lead-based paint hazard education program; appropriates $3,900,000. Each property lead inspection result will then be added to a statewide database to continuously track lead hazards in homes statewide.

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Senate and Assembly Pass Cover All Kids Legislation

Posted on by Brittany Holom-Trundy

Earlier today, the Senate and Assembly passed S3798 (A5805) to Cover All Kids with health insurance. The bill would make improvements to NJ FamilyCare by eliminating premiums and waiting periods, increasing outreach initiatives, and establishing new coverage options through a buy-in program. In response to the bill’s passage, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) releases the following statement. 

Brittany Holom-Trundy, Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“All kids in New Jersey deserve access to affordable, high-quality health coverage. This bill creates many opportunities to address the barriers keeping more than 80,000 children in the state uninsured. By expanding coverage, eliminating premiums, and increasing outreach, lawmakers are making an important investment in the state’s future and the long-term health of New Jersey families.

“We urge the Governor to sign this legislation soon and for the administration and health leaders to dedicate themselves to building the best health care system possible for all children in the Garden State.”

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NJPP Applauds Passage of the Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program

Posted on by Brittany Holom-Trundy

Earlier today, the New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed legislation (S3238) to establish the New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program. The program would add a checkbox on state income tax returns where uninsured residents can mark that they want to have their eligibility for health insurance programs evaluated and receive information on those options. Maryland already has a program like this in place and it has proven successful at getting young people, people of color, and low-income residents enrolled. In response to the bill passage, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) releases the following statement.

Brittany Holom-Trundy, Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:

“New Jersey should use every tool at its disposal to enroll residents in comprehensive and affordable health care. By adding a simple check box to tax returns and unemployment insurance forms, lawmakers will make the enrollment process as easy as possible, especially for people who face information and technology barriers and struggle to enroll. We applaud the Senate and Assembly for passing S3238 and encourage Governor Murphy to sign this into law as soon as possible.”

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