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JOHNSON: CHRISTIE BUDGET PUTS HEALTH CARE AT RISK

(TRENTON) – Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen) released the following statement Tuesday after the Christie administration was unable to define its plan for saving $300 million through a federal Medicaid waiver:

“Considering the budget proposal includes a $303 million surplus, seeking to save $300 million through some sort of Medicaid waiver that the administration is unable to explain seems like a questionable move that will put health care services at risk.
“If the Medicaid waiver is unsuccessful, there will be a $300 million hole in the Medicaid budget. This could seriously jeopardize health care for the state’s most vulnerable residents, who already are struggling under the governor’s decision to eliminate health care for women and their newborn babies.
“The lack of answers today was disturbing. We still don’t know what exactly the federal government is being asked to approve, nor do we have indication on whether this will be approved or when a decision might be made.
“What is the governor’s contingency to protect the health of the state’s most vulnerable residents if the waiver is not approved?
“We have far too few answers on this vital public policy question so important to the lives of middle-class and poor New Jerseyans.”