Statement
Statement of Ev Liebman, Director of Organizing & Advocacy
May 12, 2009 Press Conference Opposing Proposed State Cutbacks to the NJ FamilyCare Health Insurance Program and the Imposition of Co-pays for the Medicaid and AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP)
11:00 am — State House, Trenton, New Jersey
Good morning. My name is Ev Liebman and I am the Director of Organizing and Advocacy for New Jersey Citizen Action, the state's largest citizen watchdog coalition. I am also here today representing New Jersey for Health Care, a broad-based alliance of health care, consumer, senior, student, disability, women's, labor, faith-based, civil rights and social justice organizations working to bring guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care to all New Jersey residents. We are a member of and stand with today as well the Coalition for a Moral Budget, a diverse group of HMO's, pharmacists, faith based, mental health and disability advocates who work together to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries do not forgo important and necessary health care services due to the imposition of Medicaid co-pays. Together, we represent millions of New Jersey residents from every corner of the Garden State, from every walk of life and from every rung on the economic ladder.
We are here to call on the Legislature to oppose proposed cut backs in the State's Family Care program - a program that provides quality health insurance for low income children and parents and the imposition of co-payments for Medicaid recipients and those in the AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP). We have several speakers who will go into more detail about why these cuts are the wrong choices for New Jersey. And we are very pleased to have with us today, Senator Joseph Vitale who is one of the strongest health care champions here in New Jersey and we believe in the country.
It was less than one year ago today when on July 7, 2008 Governor Corzine signed S1557, legislation sponsored by Senator Vitale to expand NJ's FamilyCare program. On that day, and I quote, Governor Corzine said "This is an historic day for health care in New Jersey." "Where there has been much national dialogue about universal health care, here in New Jersey, we're actually doing something about it," he added.
One of the major components of that historic day for health care in New Jersey was its expansion of the program to include parents whose income is between 133 and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. This expansion, hailed by every advocate in this room, will aid in the enrollment of NJ's uninsured children, of which there are estimated to be over 240,000, make full use of federal funds, and provide health coverage for thousands of low-income working parents. We also know that when parents enroll in FamilyCare, more children are enrolled and Charity Care costs go down.
Medicaid and ADDP Co-payments will harm New Jersey's most vulnerable residents, forcing our neediest citizens to make unreasonable choices between paying for health care and other necessities. Last year the legislature rejected the Governor's proposal to require these kinds of uneconomic and immoral cuts - and we are here to once again ask the Legislature to restore these funds.
The current budget proposal rolls back NJ's proud history - and if passed it will renege on last year's promise to make significant progress towards our universal goal of providing good quality and affordable coverage and continue to serve as a proud model for the nation as the reform debate takes center stage.
We know we are in the worst economic crisis in decades. We also know that to fix the economy we must fix health care. Moving forward, rather than backwards, on health care reform, makes sound economic sense, is good fiscal policy and is something we must do, particularly in these times, if we agree health reform is a priority and that we must protect the most vulnerable.
In December 2008 and January 2009 alone 650 New Jerseyans a day lost their health coverage. The numbers of job losses and workers losing their health insurance continue to be devastating for themselves and their families. Those on fixed incomes have stretched their dollars to the nth degree and there simply is not one more penny for anything else.
While some may say that it is because of the economy that we must cut these programs we say they are wrong. It is precisely because of the current economic climate, it is absolutely the wrong time to cut back NJ FamilyCare or implement co-payments for those who can least afford them. We stand ready to work with the Legislature and the Governor to restore these cuts and continue on our proud path of health reform.
