Bill Text: NJ ACR198 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject proposed reductions in NJ FamilyCare income eligibility limits and provider reimbursement rates in NJ Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-29 - Substituted by SCR165 (SCS) [ACR198 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-ACR198-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 198
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED JUNE 20, 2011
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Camden)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject proposed reductions in NJ FamilyCare income eligibility limits and provider reimbursement rates in NJ Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution urging the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject any reduction in NJ FamilyCare income eligibility limits and Medicaid provider reimbursement rates in New Jersey's Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver application.
Whereas, The New Jersey Departments of Human Services and Health and Senior Services have stated their intention to seek "a Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Section 1115 research and demonstration waiver that encompasses all services and eligible populations served under a single authority that provides broad flexibility to manage all programs more efficiently"; and
Whereas, The stated intent of the waiver is to "allow New Jersey flexibility to define who is eligible for services, the benefits they receive and the most cost-effective service delivery and purchasing strategy"; and
Whereas, While the proposed Comprehensive Waiver concept paper provides for positive administrative efficiencies and contains commendable goals toward improving the delivery of health care services to the population served by the Medicaid program in New Jersey, it also contains several unconscionable and short-sighted proposals that will have an adverse effect on access to health care for low-income families in the State and on the health care delivery system in this State; and
Whereas, The proposed waiver seeks to freeze enrollment for all adult parents in NJ FamilyCare whose income exceeds the State's Aid to Families with Dependent Children eligibility limit, which was established in the 1980s and, on average, is less than 30% of the federal poverty level, which for a family of three, means an income limit of $443 per month; and
Whereas, This income eligibility limit reduction follows a FY2011 freeze on enrollment of parents in NJ FamilyCare whose income exceeded 133% of the federal poverty level and, combined with the freeze from FY2011, is estimated to result in denying health care coverage in FY2012 to a staggering 93,000 low-income parents; and
Whereas, Reductions in income eligibility levels for government-sponsored health care coverage are difficult at any time, but are particularly devastating to families during an economic recession, with unemployment in this State at unacceptably high levels and access to employer-sponsored coverage more limited than ever; and
Whereas, The policy to reduce income eligibility limits for parents not only impacts parents, but children as well; when parents lose coverage, child enrollment in government-sponsored health care programs also decreases, and New Jersey already has a disproportionately low number of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP; and
Whereas, The reduction in NJ FamilyCare income eligibility limits for parents cannot be justified on a financial basis; the State Department of Human Services estimates that the proposed reduction will save the State $9 million dollars, but the State will lose $17 million dollars in federal matching funds, so this policy results in a net loss of $8 million in funding for the State's health care system; and
Whereas, The proposed waiver also seeks to reduce provider reimbursement rates, although the Departments of Human Services and Health and Senior Services concept paper describing the waiver proposal does not provide specifics as to how and where these rates will be reduced; and
Whereas, New Jersey Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates are already among the lowest in the county, and before they are reduced further, it is necessary to review how and where they may be changed and how the reduction will impact Medicaid recipient access to health care services throughout the State; and
Whereas, The proposed reduction in income eligibility limits and changes in reimbursement rates would move New Jersey in the opposite direction from that of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which calls for an expansion of Medicaid by 2014; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is respectfully urged to reject provisions in New Jersey's Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver application that reduce income eligibility limits for parents in NJ FamilyCare and reduce Medicaid provider reimbursements, which provisions will have a deleterious impact on the health of New Jersey's low-income families and on the State's health care system.
2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution, signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and the President of the Senate and attested by the Clerk of the General Assembly and the Secretary of the Senate, shall be transmitted to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
STATEMENT
The concurrent resolution respectfully urges the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reject provisions in New Jersey's proposed Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver application that reduce income eligibility limits for parents in NJ FamilyCare and reduce Medicaid provider reimbursements, which provisions will have a deleterious impact on the health of New Jersey's low-income families and on the State's health care system.
The New Jersey Departments of Human Services and Health and Senior Services intend to seek a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver from CMS to enable the State to make significant changes in the Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs. The proposed waiver, as described in the departments' May 2011 concept paper, contains several unconscionable and short-sighted changes to the programs that will have an adverse effect on access to health care for the State's low-income families and on the health care delivery system in this State. The most significant and troubling proposal is a freeze on enrollment for all adult parents whose income exceeds the State's Aid to Families with Dependent Children eligibility limit, which limit is less than 30% of the federal poverty level. A family of three would only qualify for NJ FamilyCare if their annual income did not exceed $5,316. It is estimated that in FY2012, a staggering 93,000 low-income parents will be denied health care coverage if this eligibility change is implemented.
