AARP Fights to Protect Access to Health Care in New Jersey
Call your legislators and tell them to prioritize health care in the budget
By: States: New Jersey | Source: AARP.org | Date Posted:
The legislature in Trenton is currently making difficult decisions about the state budget. AARP is fighting to make sure the burden of cuts is not placed upon those who need help the most.
CHARITY CARE
The proposed state budget cuts $143 million in funding for hospitals.
New Jersey hospitals provide critical health care services to thousands of people who don’t have insurance. State law requires hospitals to provide care to anyone who needs it, but state government only partially pays hospitals for these services through a program called Charity Care.
In the last 18 months, five hospitals filed for bankruptcy. This year, Governor Jon Corzine has proposed cutting $143 million from the previous level of Charity Care funding. AARP believes that cutting funding for Charity Care too drastically could endanger local access to health care services.
Cuts to health care providers and increased barriers to services will only make matters worse for everyone and increase costs to the state in the long run.
PAAD CO-PAYS
The proposed state budget would demand that the 200,000 recipients of Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Aged & Disabled (PAAD) pay millions more for life-saving prescription drugs.
AARP believes that demanding more from New Jersey residents living on low, fixed incomes is the wrong way to balance the state budget.
With the continually rising cost of living, paying millions more for basic health care is unaffordable, unfair and counter-productive.
MEDICAID CO-PAYS
Imposing co-payments on people who have Medicaid will harm our most vulnerable citizens—and it will not result in real savings to state government.
Co-payments make health care less affordable for individuals with limited incomes, forcing them to choose between needed health care services and other necessities. If these individuals must put off health care because they can’t afford it, it will increase the risks of greater health care problems and more expenses to the state.
Make Health Care a priority!
Please call your state legislators in Trenton at 1-877-696-2282. Tell them to make funding for health care a priority in the state budget:
1. Restore state funding for hospitals.
2. Eliminate the proposed increase in PAAD co-pays.
3. Eliminate proposed Medicaid co-pays.
Call 1-877-696-2282—today!
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