On the recordMarch 9, 2017
I wish I could say that the Republicans' attack on the poor and vulnerable through this disastrous healthcare bill is a surprise. But, unfortunately, in my home State, Republican leadership has laid out the framework for their very own attack. Last week, Governor Chris Christie dealt another blow to the welfare of New Jerseyans by seeking to fund his State budget by siphoning money from Horizon, the State's largest healthcare insurer, serving over 900,000 Medicaid members in New Jersey. Horizon's reserve fund exists to protect healthcare consumers in the face of uncertainty. But, Mr. Speaker, New Jerseyans are currently facing tremendous uncertainty due to proposals by Republicans in Congress to roll back Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, the threats are clear. Governor Christie's proposal would destabilize Horizon and raise consumer premiums just when hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans may lose Medicaid coverage or have premium subsidies withdrawn at the hands of reckless Federal lawmakers. In my district alone, 40,600 New Jerseyans currently covered by the ACA's Medicaid expansion now stand to lose their coverage if eliminated. Both Governor Christie's budget raid and the Republican healthcare proposal are prescriptions for disaster. These plans are not only lazy and careless, but are also unworkable strategies that will only result in chaos across the healthcare industry of New Jersey and this country. ____________________
