WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued a letter to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie urging him to establish a New Jersey-based health care exchange as mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court this past June, requires states to create health care exchanges to create a marketplace for Americans to purchase health insurance.
The deadline for states to announce their intention to establish their own individual exchanges is tomorrow, Friday, November 16, 2012. Governor Christie has yet to sign the New Jersey Health Benefit Exchange Act passed by the state legislature last month, which creates the states health insurance exchange and is designed to meet the specific needs of New Jersey residents.
The Affordable Care Act’s deadline for the states’ to announce their intention to create health insurance exchanges was established to allow states time get the system up and running in time for the law’s implementation in October of 2014. If states fail to establish their own exchanges, the federal government will require states’ residents to participate in a federal health insurance exchanges that is not designed for individual states.
The following are excerpts from the letter sent by Pallone to Governor Christie:
The time has come for you to take action on behalf of the people of New Jersey and establish a New Jersey-based health insurance exchange…
When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, it intended for each state to set up its own exchange and gave states the flexibility to tailor their exchanges to the needs of their citizens. To date, New Jersey has received nearly $9 million in grants from the federal government to plan and establish a state-run exchange…
If New Jersey cedes the opportunity to create its own exchange, our residents will miss out on a number of benefits. First and foremost, a state-based exchange would allow the state to determine which insurers can participate in the exchange, ensuring that only those offering the highest quality for the best value are allowed to participate. Furthermore, a state-based exchange could set requirements for participating insurance companies above and beyond those set by the federal law, making sure that the unique health needs of New Jerseyans are fully met…
With the deadlines to act on establishing our exchange quickly approaching, further delay in signing this legislation threatens New Jerseyans’ access to the best quality and most affordable health insurance.
Pallone serves as the senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and was a primary author of the Affordable Care Act in the House.
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