News
Exploring Policy Pathways for a Public Health Insurance Option: FamilyCare Buy-In Program
This report examines three policy options New Jersey could consider to expand coverage for individuals who are left out of federal programs due to their immigration status or because they cannot afford coverage. The options are a Basic Health Program (BHP), a Medicaid Buy-In, and a state-run Public Option.
Flood of comments on White House grantmaking overhaul is largely negative, analysis shows
“Public comment periods and regulations are not a plebiscite, they’re not a vote. So it doesn’t officially matter whether it’s 80-20 one way or 70-30 or 51-49. One thing I can assure you, the administration, any administration, will not count up and let those totals affect their final decisions,” said Stuart Shapiro, the dean of the Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy and a former OMB official who has written about the role public comments play in shaping regulation.
NJSPL: Making Sense of NJ Hospital Consolidation in a Challenging Policy Environment
The recent wave of hospital consolidation has affected all of New Jersey’s Hospital Referral Regions (HRRs), which represent the distinct markets where most patients receive their hospital care.
New Jersey’s New E-Bike Law Sparks Debate Ahead of July 19 Rollout
Von Hagen said many New Jersey residents who are neurodivergent or have disabilities are unable to obtain a driver’s license. She believes this law will stop them from riding e-bikes.
Research Brief: Current, Future Coastal Flood Inundation of NJ Roadways
A new research brief by Jonathan Delura, Senior Research Specialist, Center for Urban Policy Research for the New Jersey Climate Change Research Center details a novel approach for estimating the extent and depth of roadway inundation using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived roadway surface elevations. A desktop analysis was conducted utilizing this approach to provide a first order assessment of coastal flooding impacts under current and future flood scenarios for New Jersey.
How NYU Langone’s planned Melville hospital would change Long Island healthcare
Cases for higher, or lower, prices
Older hospitals may buy expensive new equipment and other technology to better compete, in some cases leading to duplication of services, said Soumitra Bhuyan, executive director of health administration programs at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Combined with NYU Langone’s investment in the new hospital, that could help push up prices for patients — although competition among hospitals also could potentially help lower prices, he said.
In addition, an academic medical center like the proposed Melville hospital generally charges more than community hospitals, he said.
Studies show that initial hospitalization costs for academic medical centers are higher, although other research indicates that, long-term, costs can be lower, possibly because of fewer complications after an initial hospital stay at an academic medical center.
New Jersey economy expected to trail U.S. growth for next 2 years, Rutgers report says
Authors Will Irving and Tarun Arasu, both of Rutgers, expect employment growth to rebound to 0.5% in 2027 and eventually outpace the national rate over the medium term.
New Jersey’s Strict New E-Bike Law: What Parents Need to Know
“A big part of the solution is safer street design. Communities can protect young riders by slowing traffic, building separated bike infrastructure, and improving trail crossings so drivers see people on bikes,” Von Hagen said.
“Everything about it tells you you should drive fast,” he said. “It looks like a highway. But you also have a lot of driveways, so you’re driving very fast and braking very often.”
Christiana Foglio, DC’84, BSPPP’86 Inducted to Rutgers Board of Governors
The Rutgers Board of Governors inducted Christiana “Chris” Foglio as the newest trustee members effective July 1.
Dr. Williams Elected Publications Officer for the Survey Research Methods Section (SRMS) of the American Statistical Association
Dr. Shar Williams was elected Publications Officer for the Survey Research Methods Section (SRMS) of the American Statistical Association in May 2026. Her term will begin in January 2027.
Jersey City Shadowed by 15% Tax Hike as Boomtown Faces Reckoning
“The effects we are seeing here are decisions that were driven by political forces that were not in the best long-term financial interest of the city,” said Marc Pfeiffer, associate director of Rutgers University’s Bloustein Local unit of the Center for Urban Policy Research, who also serves as chair of the city’s budget advisory committee. “Now they’re coming due.”
Smart and Von Hagen Discuss Safety Challenges of “Stroads” Using Route 1 as Example
According to Smart, that creates a design problem.
“Everything about it tells you you should drive fast,” he said. “It looks like a highway. But you also have a lot of driveways, so you’re driving very fast and braking very often.”