Gill Statement On Assembly Committee Approval Of ‘NJ Health Benefit Exchange Act’

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Nia H. Gill (D-Essex) and Senator Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) to implement an essential part of the federal health care reform law by creating a state health insurance exchange, a competitive marketplace where individuals and employers will be able to purchase health care coverage, was approved today by the Senate Commerce Committee.

Required under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in 2010, the health insurance exchange is the key to providing New Jersey’s uninsured and underinsured with affordable, quality health coverage. The exchange is a virtual marketplace – accessible on the Internet or by phone – that will allow individuals and small employers to directly compare health coverage options based on quality, cost and value and to purchase private health insurance. The federal government has set a November 16 deadline for states to declare their intention to create a state-based exchange or to cede control of the process to the federal government.

“Every state must have a health exchange under the federal health reform law. While the federal government offers states several options, a state-based health exchange makes the most sense for New Jersey as it will allow us to provide residents with plans that best meet their needs,” said Senator Gill, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “The state is facing a November deadline to demonstrate that we are prepared to create an exchange. To that end, we must move swiftly to ensure that we have a strong system in place by October of 2013 when hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans will be shopping for affordable, quality health care coverage.”

“Creating a health exchange, the centerpiece of the health reform law, is essential to ensuring that New Jersey residents have access to affordable, quality health care coverage,” said Senator Vitale, chair of the Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee. “With this legislation, we will create a simple, user-friendly process for obtaining insurance so that people are informed about their options and given seamless access to the type of coverage they need to keep themselves and their families healthy. The exchange will also provide for competition among carriers to create downward pressure on costs.”

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Nia H. Gill (D-Essex) and Senator Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) to implement an essential part of the federal health care reform law by creating a state health insurance exchange, a competitive marketplace where individuals and employers will be able to purchase health care coverage, was approved today by the full Senate.

Required under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in 2010, the health insurance exchange is the key to providing New Jersey’s uninsured and underinsured with affordable, quality health coverage. The exchange is a virtual marketplace – accessible on the Internet or by phone – that will allow individuals and small employers to directly compare health coverage options based on quality, cost and value and to purchase private health insurance. The federal government has set a November 16 deadline for states to declare their intention to create a state-based exchange or to cede control of the process to the federal government.

“This legislation is the key piece of federal health care reform that will provide access to coverage for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who are without it, many of whom are working full-time jobs but still cannot afford insurance,” said Senator Gill. “A state-based exchange will ensure that when these individuals shop for coverage beginning in October of 2013, they will be able to purchase affordable, quality plans that best meet their needs. The state is facing a November deadline to demonstrate that we are prepared to create an exchange. To that end, we must move swiftly to ensure that we have a strong system in place so that our residents can purchase coverage and get the care they deserve.”

“Creating a health exchange, the centerpiece of the health reform law, is essential to ensuring that New Jersey residents have access to affordable, quality health care coverage,” said Senator Vitale, chair of the Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee. “With this legislation, we will create a simple, user-friendly process for obtaining insurance so that people are informed about their options and given seamless access to the type of coverage they need to keep themselves and their families healthy. The exchange will also provide for competition among carriers to create downward pressure on costs.”

TRENTON – Senator Nia H. Gill (D-Essex), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and prime sponsor of the “New Jersey Health Benefit Exchange Act,” issued the following statement on the governor’s veto of the legislation (S-2135):

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