The Proposal – NJ Universal Healthcare Coalition

Overview

We want ALL New Jersey residents to be covered by traditional Medicare (parts A, B and D)!
Make “Medicare For All” a reality
Don’t create a new health care plan
Don’t rewrite Medicare
Just take what we have, national Medicare, and make it THE one and only health care plan for New Jersey

New Jersey health care is financed through the same array of confusing and conflicting health care plans that hobble health care nationally
700,000 NJ residents do not have health insurance
Provider choices are limited to the networks each carrier creates
All affordable plans have very high deductibles, requiring large out-of-pocket expenses
Administrative costs are high because of the large number of carriers and plans they offer
Prices hospitals charge for medical procedures are not standardized, costing NJ state and local governments, and NJ consumers, billions of dollars

NJUHC has evaluated several approaches to implementing universal health care in New Jersey
New Jersey has an exceptional amount of cross border employment and health care provision with neighboring states, which other states have found difficult to resolve
Governing and managing a new state single payer plan is complicated by changes in the State’s political environment and leadership
State legislation may pass, but implementation of a totally new health plan requires a massive expansion of State government

Medicare stands out as a rational, cost effective program providing health care coverage for over 50 years to more than 55 million 65+ and those with disabilities
Medicare reduces administrative costs for providers and consumers, making health care more affordable
Medicare standardizes hospital prices for medical procedures
Medicare provides patients with the maximum choice of doctors and hospitals
Medicare allows doctors to spend more time on patient care and less on negotiating with insurance companies
Medicare can cover every NJ resident
Medicare has the ability to manage and operate Medicare in NJ without the need for any new State agencies or bureaucracy
A precedent for designating traditional Medicare as the sole provider in a defined geographic area already exists in Libby, MT
Medicare for All in NJ would be a model for other states, allowing a gradual state-by-state expansion of Medicare until every U.S. resident is covered

Requests that the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enroll every NJ resident in Medicare, cradle to grave, as part of a new demonstration program
States clearly that NJ wants national traditional Medicare to become THE one and only health care plan for New Jersey for all necessary medical services
Does not allow any other health care plan sold in New Jersey to offer coverage included in Medicare
Directs CMS to act under the waiver provisions of the Affordable Care Act, or under the experimentation provisions built into Medicare legislation, without need for an act of Congress
Establishes a Medicare administrative district exclusively for NJ

Identify legislative sponsors and state organizations to support and sponsor the new legislation
Develop support from Business and Medical interests
Share our legislative model with other states thru the One-Payer States network
Build grassroots support for NJ Medicare for All via town hall meetings and educational events around the State