New Jersey Bulletin State News

By: States: New Jersey | Source: AARP.org

April 2008
Comparison shopping – The state’s online prescription drug registry has generated more than 300,000 “hits” in its first six months, and AARP New Jersey wants more state residents to take advantage of the price comparison tool.

Launched in September, the registry lists prices for 150 frequently prescribed medications. Prices for a one-month supply can vary widely, even within the same Zip Code.

AARP members can spread the word about the registry to their families and friends by distributing a brochure on how to use it. For free copies in English or Spanish, call AARP New Jersey toll free at 1-866-542-8165. For an easy guide to the registry and a direct link to it, go to www.aarp.org/nj. Or access the tool online at www.njdrugprices.nj.gov or by calling 1-800-242-5846.

March 2008
Help with utility bills – Many middle-income households not eligible for public assistance may qualify for grants of up to $1,000 to avoid utility cutoffs during financial crises. In January the state treasury department provided $3 million in unclaimed utility customer refunds to NJ SHARES, a program that helps residents on the verge of losing their gas or electric service.

Heating costs in 2007-08 were expected to be 15 percent higher nationwide and 38 percent higher in the Northeast than the previous year, a recent AARP study showed.

To learn more about NJ SHARES or how to apply, call 1-866-657-4273 toll free. Lower-income households may be eligible for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the New Jersey Universal Service Fund. For information on those programs, call 1-866-240-1347 toll free or go to www.state.nj.us/dca/dcr.

January/February 2008
Safety in numbers – Lawmakers are expected to consider legislation this year that would require individual hospitals to publicly report statistics on preventable medical errors. The measure would strengthen the Patient Safety Act of 2004, which requires public reporting of such data but does not link the errors to specific hospitals. The Assembly passed a similar bill in 2007, but the Senate failed to act.

AARP New Jersey supports the proposal because "the public has a fundamental right to this kind of public health data," says Marilyn Askin, AARP New Jersey legislative advocate. State lawmakers approved public reporting of hospital infections in 2007.

To encourage legislators to make New Jersey hospitals even safer by also requiring public reporting of medical errors, call the AARP Healthcare Quality hotline at 1-800-844-2272.

December 2007
Family matters – AARP New Jersey is pushing lawmakers to expand workers' family leave benefits. Two bills (S 2249 and A 3812) introduced last year by state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, D, and Assemblyman Nelson Albano, D, would extend the state's temporary disability insurance system to allow workers up to 12 weeks of leave per year to care for newborns, newly adopted children or sick family members of any age.

A recent AARP study found that caregivers who have to take time off or work partial days often face lower wages, a lack of job security and loss or reduction of benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings.

Call the AARP Family and Medical Leave Insurance hotline toll free at 1-877-696-2282 to urge lawmakers to support the legislation.

November 2007
Safety posthaste – Now that state law requires hospitals to report infection rates, AARP New Jersey is asking citizens to urge officials to quickly draft the regulations and enforce them. The law requires the state Department of Health and Senior Services to track hospital-acquired infection rates and post the information on its website.

State Sen. Joe Vitale, D, who sponsored the measure, says it is an important step toward making hospitals safer and cutting costs associated with preventable infections.

Call the AARP Healthcare Quality hotline at 1-800-844-2272 to hear more about what AARP is doing to improve health care quality in New Jersey.