The state of New Jersey has just over six months to finalize plans for a health insurance exchange. The deadline concerns a federal grant that would help the state make progress toward the new insurance system. The grant, worth $5 million, would be used to hire new staff that will maintain the upcoming virtual insurance marketplace. It would also help the state purchase new equipment needed to operate the system and would fund marketing efforts to promote the exchange program. If New Jersey misses the deadline, it may not be…
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Insurance changes to New Jersey’s disability insurance pool make coverage more affordable
New Jersey’s disability insurance fund will see some changes in the coming months, according to Governor Chris Christie. This week, the Governor announced that state employees can expect to see lower premiums for the state’s disability insurance pool. The Governor believes that state workers have been paying more than is necessary to keep the program afloat and has teamed with the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Harold Wirths, to make changes to the state-run program. Currently, the state withholds funds from workers’ paychecks to cover the…
Read MoreNew Jersey taking tentative steps toward a health insurance exchange
New Jersey may be one step closer to building its own health insurance exchange after state officials, industry analysts and stakeholders met Wednesday to discuss the issue. The meeting was hosted by the NJ for Health Care and NJ Citizen Action Education Fund. Both organizations advocate health care reform for the sake of New Jersey residents. Born from the meeting was a common consensus that the state should take measures to establish its own insurance exchange to ensure that it has control of the program by the 2014 deadline. Ray…
Read MoreHopes of change with New York health insurance exchange in place
In accordance with the Affordable Care Act passed last year, the state of New York is seeking to create a new agency that will run a federally mandated health insurance exchange. The state has long sought to find a means of providing coverage to some 2.5 million of its uninsured residents. Despite years of effort, officials have never been able to bring that number down. Many New Yorkers are hoping that the coming exchange will alleviate some of the difficulty in obtaining comprehensive coverage at a reasonable price, but still…
Read MoreNew Jersey: Government run health plan looking to close their doors
In New Jersey, hundreds of cities and school districts have saved a fortune by taking part in the state’s relatively unknown benefits program. For the past three years, an increasing number of people are dropping the insurance policies they bought from big name companies in favor of the state’s program. Some legislators are looking to change that by proposing a new bill that could severely inhibit the program. Stephen M. Sweeney, the State Senate president, is proposing legislation that would prohibit the state run insurance program from accepting new members.…
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