Senator Says Work To Educate New Jerseyans Just Beginning
TRENTON – State Senate Commerce Chairwoman Nia H. Gill (D-Essex) issued the following statement on today’s deadline for residents across the country to enroll in health coverage through the health insurance Marketplace. Senator Gill participated in the nationwide push to boost health insurance enrollment through the new federal health exchanges in advance of today’s deadline, including kicking off ‘Enrollment Week’ which ends today at Montclair State University:
“Today marks the culmination of a historic effort to ensure that the nation’s uninsured get covered during the first phase of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. After months of outreach in New Jersey, thousands of residents will now have health insurance, many of them for the first time, and will finally have the opportunity to get the care they need. This is an exciting time for our state. And while we made an aggressive push to get residents enrolled in health insurance in advance of the deadline, our work is not yet done.
“We have to educate residents who are now covered about the importance of utilizing preventive care to ensure that a minor illness does not become a chronic condition. We have to remind those who now have insurance that doctor’s visits and wellness visits must be covered by insurers. And we have to ensure residents are aware that services such as diabetes and cancer screenings are now covered with no out-of-pocket costs. While the ACA has provided thousands of New Jerseyans with insurance for the first time, there are still uninsured residents in our state. That is why we have an obligation to continue to work to ensure that all of our neighbors, friends, family members and co-workers are aware of the health care options available to them under the federal law. While the first phase is ending, our work as a state is just beginning.”