TRENTON – Sen. Raymond Lesniak, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano on Friday voiced strong opposition to Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to slash health care for working class New Jerseyans by decimating Medicaid.
A recent report by The Star-Ledger detailed Christie administration plans to propose cutting people making as little as $103 a week from Medicaid:
“The governor’s proposed eligibility limits are outrageous,” said Lesniak (D-Union). “If these changes are adopted, thousands of households in Union County alone will become ineligible for Medicaid. What the governor is asking here is completely unreasonable, unrealistic and unfair for disadvantaged families all over New Jersey.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent data, more than 7 percent of the households in the 20th Legislative District earn $10,000 or less each year, which is more than the percentage of households in the district which earn $150,000 or more per year. Under the proposed change, a family of three would have to earn no more than $103 per week in order to qualify for Medicaid.
“As the Assembly Majority Leader, the governor and I tend to disagree on a lot of issues,” said Cryan (D-Union), “but I don’t see how anybody could possibly agree with the governor on this one. The Medicaid income eligibility limits the governor is proposing are one-third of the national poverty line. This goes far beyond cost-saving to being cold-hearted.”
“Where does the governor think that our most vulnerable residents are going to go when they get sick?” asked Quijano (D-Union). “And how can we expect our hospitals to take on the expenses of providing charity care for the thousands of families who will no longer qualify for Medicaid? The governor has shown a refusal to take the needs and health of low-earners into consideration. This proposal will prevent thousands of New Jerseyans from receiving preventative care thereby driving more people into New Jersey’s emergency rooms further burdening the taxpayers of this state. I find his proposal offensive and, and I hope the people of New Jersey will join us in strongly opposing it.”
