Healthcare-related challenges, on several fronts, are putting families in crisis. And, the Republican-dominated Congress, well, it’s having little, if anything to say but, for those who face re-election, saying what may be needed to stay seated.
Topic
health policy
NJSPL Report: Health Insurance Literacy Initiatives
Researchers with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, in collaboration with the New Jersey State Policy Lab, have developed a report which is intended to serve as the first comprehensive state-by-state guide of health insurance literacy educational resources and/or interventions available across the U.S.
Medicaid Work Requirements Set to Leave Millions Without Insurance
Cantor pointed out that state Medicaid agencies are feeling more stress than before, as offices are already low on resources for their current work without adding more paperwork each year, and more reach out to those who need to prove their employment.
Prof. Cantor Receives Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Professor Joel Cantor received the 2025 Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award from Rutgers Health Office of the Chancellor.
Prof. Cantor Discusses Housing as a Public Health Issue
Homelessness nearly doubled in 2025 with the lifting of the COVID-era eviction moratorium. Cantor noted that New Jersey has focused additional resources to support residents, but needs federal help. He’s also concerned that President Donald Trump’s recent executive order punishing homelessness as a crime will make things worse.
N.J. nonprofits brace for potential federal funding cuts under Trump
“If I were leading a nonprofit that was dependent on those kinds of grants, I’d be very worried,” said Joel Cantor, director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy.
What the 2nd Trump administration might mean for health insurance
The last time he held office, Donald Trump “was one vote away from repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said Cantor. “So, it’s likely that he will, at the very least, seek to reduce funding for subsidies in the ACA coverage exchanges and make other changes likely to undermine affordability and market stability in the exchanges.”
Prof. Joel Cantor Reflects on Dr. Oz’s Nomination
But big government systems take a long time to change, Cantor and others agreed, given the level of detail involved in implanting complex social service programs. “Inertia is on our side” when it comes to protecting changes New Jersey has made in Medicaid, Cantor said.
The bigger N.J. hospitals get, the harder it is for people to escape medical debt
“If you’re the dominant health system, it puts you in the driver’s seat when you go to negotiate prices or rates — you have a lot of leverage in that situation,” said Joel Cantor, director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy. “If you’re the hospital, that’s good. But if you’re the insured or the person paying the premiums, it isn’t great.”
Joel Cantor Op-Ed: Why Our Healthcare Costs are so High
So, what is the big health care spending driver? The late Princeton University professor and renowned health policy scholar Uwe Reinhardt put it succinctly: “It’s the prices, stupid.”