newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JON WHITEN

NEW JERSEY POLICY PERSPECTIVE

COMMENTARY

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision upholding most of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Gov. Chris Christie has been discussing the ruling in various news outlets and hinting at his plans for how New Jersey will respond.

Unfortunately, many of the governor’s statements have been based on inaccurate information.

Given that the views of the governor are so critical in setting policy and implementation of health care reform at the state and even national level, and the attention he has received for his statements, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) feels it is important to set the record straight. That’s why today we are countering five recent statements by the governor on this topic with eight key facts about the impact and implementation of health care reform on New Jersey. To read the full report, click here.

“When the governor says that there’s little room to expand Medicaid coverage in New Jersey, suggests that letting the federal government set up our health exchange might be less costly, or asserts that the expansion of Medicaid was the work of Democratic governors, his statements clash with the factual record,” says NJPP president Gordon MacInnes. “Facts matter, and it’s important this crucial debate over health coverage in New Jersey be based on facts, and not on rhetoric that appeals to national TV audiences.”

Report author Raymond Castro, a senior policy analyst at NJPP, says implementing health care reform in New Jersey without the proper factual context is a danger that goes far beyond politics.

“If Gov. Christie were to opt out of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, as he is hinting, nearly half a million poor New Jerseyans would not be able to obtain health insurance,” Castro says. “This be devastating for those folks, and could end up costing the state even more money than the modest expense of covering more people. These facts are largely missing from the governor’s public statements, but we hope he acknowledges them and does the right thing for New Jersey at the end of the day.”

Jon Whiten is the Communications and Technology Director at NJPP.

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