Office of the Governor | ICYMI: New Law Establishing the New Jersey Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program Aims to Improve Access to Affordable Health Coverage for Residents

ENTON – Constructing on the Murphy Administration’s efforts to increase entry to inexpensive well being protection, Governor Murphy signed laws (A-674/S-1646) on June 30 creating the New Jersey Straightforward Enrollment Well being Insurance coverage Program to make it simpler for residents to acquire medical health insurance by Get Lined New Jersey, the State’s official medical health insurance market.

“New Jersey has made nice strides in guaranteeing extra residents have entry to inexpensive medical health insurance. Greater than 324,000 New Jerseyans signed up for well being protection by Get Lined New Jersey through the Reasonably priced Care Act Open Enrollment Interval—a report excessive in New Jersey,” stated Division of Banking and Insurance coverage Commissioner Marlene Caride. “I wish to thank Governor Murphy for signing the New Jersey Straightforward Enrollment Well being Insurance coverage Program into legislation—that is one other step ahead that reduces limitations to well being protection. Enrolling extra residents in well being plans will result in higher well being outcomes for New Jersey households.”      

The division will work with the departments of Human Providers, Labor and Workforce Improvement, and Treasury to implement this system with the aim of streamlining entry to Get Lined New Jersey and growing affordability of medical health insurance within the state.        

By way of this program, uninsured and underinsured residents can point out their curiosity in protection for themselves or a family member on their tax return or by unemployment insurance coverage profit claims, which might be shared with the New Jersey Division of Banking and Insurance coverage.    

As required by the laws, the division will create a system to investigate the information collected by tax returns and unemployment profit claims to find out a resident’s eligibility for medical health insurance protection and talent to obtain monetary assist by Get Lined New Jersey and proactively join with qualifying residents to assist them enroll. The legislation additionally permits the division to work with the Division of Human Providers to find out a person’s eligibility for NJ FamilyCare and share information with the company for that evaluation.          

“This can be a sensible, proactive strategy that can assist make well being care extra accessible to all residents,” stated Division of Human Providers Commissioner Sarah Adelman. “Whereas the State has made large progress in getting extra New Jerseyans lined, there are nonetheless folks with out medical health insurance who’re eligible for inexpensive well being protection by Get Lined New Jersey or NJ FamilyCare and will not notice it. Everybody deserves entry to high quality well being care and we’re excited to associate with DOBI to bridge this hole and make well being protection a actuality for all New Jerseyans.”         

“Supporting our workforce means ensuring they’ve entry to each useful resource obtainable to assist them look after themselves and their households,” stated Division of Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “We sit up for working with our associate companies to convey Get Lined New Jersey to the folks it would profit essentially the most.”      

“Entry to inexpensive well being protection is a fundamental human proper,” stated State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. “This program will make it easy for New Jerseyans to entry high quality medical health insurance, enabling them to extra simply prioritize their well being and wellbeing. Treasury is happy to work with our associate companies to launch this program and cut back limitations to healthcare in our communities.”  

The Shared Duty Fee, which New Jersey taxpayers are required to pay if they’re uninsured, might be waived by the Division of Treasury for any particular person who enrolls and maintains protection after checking the field for the Straightforward Enrollment Well being Insurance coverage Program whereas they endure the enrollment course of. The taxpayer should preserve protection following enrollment to keep away from being answerable for the Shared Duty Fee. 

Sponsors of the laws embrace Senators Teresa Ruiz and Nellie Pou, and Meeting members Anthony Verrelli, Angela McKnight and John McKeon.        

“As of 2019, 692,000 New Jerseyans had been with out medical health insurance. It’s essential that we proceed to do all that we will to convey that quantity down and join eligible residents to backed protection,” stated Senator Teresa Ruiz. “This program will jump-start the applying course of, permitting residents to easily verify a field and get data on their eligibility for low-cost choices. Related packages have seen nice success in different states across the nation and I’m hopeful it would enhance enrollment in medical health insurance right here in New Jersey.”      

“By way of this program, the Division of Banking and Insurance coverage will be capable of determine people and households who could also be eligible for backed medical health insurance and information them by the applying course of,” stated Senator Nellie Pou. “It will go a great distance in connecting as many eligible people as doable to much-needed protection.”     

“With out medical health insurance, people could not be capable of entry the medical companies or prescribed drugs they want, and an unanticipated accident or sickness may critically affect one’s monetary safety, making it essential to make sure certified people are in a position to enroll within the insurance coverage packages obtainable to them,” stated Meeting members Anthony Verrelli, Angela McKnight and John McKeon. “With the New Jersey Straightforward Enrollment Well being Insurance coverage Program, we will attain out to extra of the State’s uninsured residents to supply them with precious data and the help they should receive medical health insurance. This program has the potential to make an enormous distinction in residents’ lives not solely by increasing entry to healthcare, but in addition by reducing premiums for everybody because of higher enrollment.” 

To make sure protection is accessible and inexpensive for extra residents, Get Lined New Jersey presents monetary assist to many New Jerseyans to decrease medical health insurance prices. The success of this yr’s open enrollment was bolstered by a big enhance in monetary help made doable by each the American Rescue Plan Act and state subsidies, referred to as New Jersey Well being Plan Financial savings. 9 out of 10 residents enrolling at Get Lined New Jersey qualify for monetary assist.           

“EZ Enrollment is one other instance of presidency working effectively and doing good for extraordinary folks,” stated Maura Collinsgru, Director of Coverage and Advocacy at NJ Citizen Motion. “Establishing an automated enrollment system for uninsured tax filers will assist shut the protection hole and guarantee extra New Jerseyans have the protection they want, particularly working households who could not in any other case concentrate on their protection choices or have the time to enroll. We thank the Governor and Legislature for taking this necessary step and sit up for this system being up and working in 2023.”