Joseph Vitale

TRENTON – The Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation today sponsored by Senators Joseph Vitale and Barbara Buono that would set out specific guidelines for health insurance providers to follow in authorizing the delivery and payment of health care services by doctors and hospitals.

“For most doctors and hospitals, providing the best possible care for their patients is only half the battle,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “Dealing with the bureaucracies created by the health insurance companies to get approval for treatment and final reimbursement can be a nightmare. For doctors, these new standards will be more timely and less uncertain than the current system. “

TRENTON – Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, issued the following statement regarding Committee approval, by a vote of 6-0 with one abstention, of a bill he sponsored with Governor Codey to increase the age at which vendors can legally sell cigarettes from 18 to 19:

“The most sure-fire way to avoid any one of the myriad of health risks attached to smoking is never to start.

“The logic is flawless, but so many of our State’s kids cannot see past the peer pressure of high school to realize just what a risk they’d be taking by lighting up. They only know that on the school yard, the ‘cool kids’ are the ones who smoke.

TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale, to clarify minors’ rights to consent to medical or surgical care, was approved by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today.

“Health care professionals work hard every day to provide the best possible care to minors, but often the rules about their consent prohibits teens from getting necessary medical treatment,” said Senator Vitale, Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “There is currently a law that says minors can consent to treatment, but this bill would set the minimum age for consent at 13 years old.

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would provide substantial protections for New Jersey’s consumers from identity theft, and give them the tools to prove their innocence after a theft takes place was signed into law today by Governor Codey.

“In today’s high-tech world, we’re learning more and more that a criminal with a stolen social security number can be a very dangerous thing,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “With the right information, a thief can run up thousands of dollars in illegal purchases, all the while leaving you holding the bag for their shopping spree. The damage done to an individual’s credit history from identity theft can be lasting and substantial, but with the right tools we can make identity theft cases less frequent and less devastating when they do happen.”