Assemblywoman Notes the Long Term Effects Will Cost the State Even More
Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Bergen/Passaic) today questioned the Christie administration’s approach to cost savings by cutting some of New Jersey’s poorest families out of the state’s Family Care health insurance program.
“By remaining singularly focused on reducing spending on paper, the administration is overlooking the long-term costs and ramifications of many of their misguided budget cuts.
“This year’s budget would kick even more adults out of the FamilyCare program than last year, including all single adults or couples without dependent children.
“This is a move that will not only impact access to health care for some of our neediest residents, but likely cost the state more money down the road. By eliminating their access to routine care, these patients will be seeking more expensive emergency treatment at hospitals, increasing the charity care load, and putting an added burden on our already strained FQHC’s (Federally Qualified Health Centers).
“We saw these same consequences after the Governor eliminated all of the funding last year for women’s health and family planning clinics. We were told FQHC’s could take on the additional load and as we’ve since found out they cannot.
“Time and again, we are seeing the administration make decisions that place the burden of balancing the budget squarely on the shoulders of those who can least afford it.”