Tuesday, May 1, 2018

NJ Set to Require Individual Mandate For Health Insurance

Obama signed it into law, Trump took it out and now Murphy can put it back on.

The New Jersey legislature approved two big bills recently designed to counteract some of President Trump's changes to the Affordable Care Act and stabilize the state's individual insurance market.

If Gov. Phil Murphy signs off, New Jersey would become only the second state in the country to have an individual mandate, and the first state to pass one since the federal coverage requirement was repealed.

The mandate bill would require New Jersey residents to buy coverage that meets New Jersey's standards — not the federal government's. And New Jersey already bans the sale of short-term health plans, which the Trump administration is expanding.

Together, this means that New Jersey's market would function a lot like the pre-Trump ACA.

The bills: One would begin the process of seeking a federal waiver to establish a reinsurance program. The other would create an individual mandate in the state.




The mandate bill passed 23-13 in the Senate and 50-23 in the Assembly.
The bills would most directly affect consumers who don't get health insurance through Medicare or their employer. About 275,000 people in New Jersey were covered in the individual market, according to federal data released this month.

Hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans rely on the ACA to get the comprehensive medical coverage they need and deserve,” Murphy said in a statement Thursday. “These measures will ensure that the necessary infrastructure remains in place for the ACA to thrive.”

Opponents of the measure argue that residents shouldn’t be forced to purchase insurance, particularly if it’s unaffordable.

“It’s just wrong for government to force people to buy something they choose not to buy,” said Jay Webber, R-26th of Morris Plains. “We should look for ways to make health insurance affordable, but there are better alternatives to government threats and penalties. We can lower the costs by introducing more competition, less regulation and more choices for consumers.”

https://www.axios.com/new-jersey-pushes-back-on-trump-aca-moves-ac92fffa-8155-4095-aaee-5b7d9452d284.html?utm_source=sidebar

4 comments:

  1. There are hundreds of men on Lakewood who don't have health insurance. They are not eligible for Jersey care and can't afford the high premium of the regular plans they just dropped out.
    This tax will crush them even more so those who don't work or here illegal can get free health care.

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  2. For all the vaad sheep who voted for this communist, enjoy.

    At least he fixed the Lakewood school funding crisis... Oh wait, he didn't...

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    1. Not only didn't he fix it, at some point he is going to get rid of the state mandated 2% tax cap. Who do you think will be paying for the $30 million school district deficit then?

      That will be the worst case scenario for Lakewood coming true. Massive tax increases, will lead to a massive loss in property value which will lead to foreclosures.

      But don't worry, the new office buildings will all be safe. Their property tax abatements exempt them from paying school district taxes for 30 years.

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  3. the politicians are doing this just in case there are still any middle class citizens left in the state. they want to drive them out so NJ can become a true 3rd world country like CA. Where the only residents are the poor and the very wealthy.

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