How Murphy says he plans to protect NJ residents from crushing medical debt

January 11, 2024

New Jersey officials are planning steps to better protect patients from the impact of medical debt, building on an initiative Gov. Phil Murphy outlined last year to pay off health care bills now burdening tens of thousands of low-income residents.

Joel Cantor, a professor and director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, acknowledged the “enormous burden” of medical debt but urged state leaders to focus on the underlying cause — the growing cost of health care along with rising out-of-pocket costs. “The Governor’s proposal would certainly give relief to many in need, but ultimately governmental subsidies to those in debt are not likely to be a long-term solution,” he said. “A much harder problem is reining in underlying medical cost inflation.”

“Under other policy initiatives, the Murphy administration is seeking more systemic solutions,” Cantor said. “In the meantime, stop gap debt relief may be the best many families can hope for.”

NJ Spotlight News, January 11, 2024

 

Recent Posts

The Virtues of Public Service with Bob Gordon

The Virtues of Public Service with Bob Gordon We return to our regularly scheduled EJB Talks this week with Bob Gordon, a Senior Policy Fellow who joined the Bloustein School earlier this year. Dean Shapiro asks Bob, a former New Jersey legislator and BPU...

Bhuyan Co-Authors New ABCD UrbanSat Study

Linking neuroimaging and mental health data from the ABCD Study to UrbanSat measurements of macro environmental factors Abstract Although numerous studies over the past decade have highlighted the influence of environmental factors on mental health, globally...

Listokin, Hughes, Edwards New Book: Rutgers Then and Now

Rutgers Then and Now Explores Transformation of Historic College Avenue Campus Over the Centuries See images from the book in the original post on Rutgers Today The book hitting shelves soon after the university’s charter day is the work of three longtime...

NJSPL Blog: SNAP Websites’ Chatbot Services

IMPACT-NJ is working to promote language equity in public-sector chatbots, with a focus on English and Spanish to improve accessibility for New Jersey's diverse population. As part of this initiative, the team conducted an audit of state-level SNAP websites, examining...

SRTS Report: Bicycle and Pedestrian Involved Crashes in NJ

Bicycle and Pedestrian Involved Crashes in New Jersey: A Closer Look at Crashes Involving Children and Youth Pedestrians and cyclists face a higher risk of severe injury or death in crashes compared to motorists. In New Jersey, there were nearly 6,000 crashes that...

Upcoming Events

Event Series DEIB

Bloustein DEIB Committee Holiday Toy Drive

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

The Bloustein School Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee invites you to participate in a Holiday Toy Drive benefitting the Harmony Family Success Center. Donate new, unwrapped toys for kids […]

Event Series CAREERS

Virtual Career Drop-ins

Virtual

Stop by virtually on Mondays (except for holidays) beginning September 9th through December 16th between 11 am and 1 pm to ask a quick (15 min) career-related question of Bloustein […]