Pallone Speaks on Affordable Care Act Enrollment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Monday, December 9, 2013, at 7:00pm, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06) co-hosted an ACA enrollment event at the Highland Park Board of Health with Highland Park Councilwoman Susan Welkovits and the Board of Health Chairwoman, Diane Heimlich. Congressman Pallone, Senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, discussed the benefits and savings possible as a result of the health reform law.

“Helping New Jerseyans take advantage of the benefits of the health care law and get covered is a top priority for me,” said Congressman Pallone. “We must make sure that New Jersey families, under the Affordable Care Act, get access to the care that they need and deserve. It is our responsibility to help educate New Jersey families about what is available to them – and that includes the Health Care Marketplace.”

Congressman Pallone, along with Justine Ceserano, New Jersey State Director of Enroll America, and Chaim Lazarus from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explained the benefits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and how New Jersey residents and business owners can now access them.

Since the Affordable Care Act passed, New Jerseyans have already experienced many gains that have made health coverage and care more accessible and affordable. Over 70,000 young adults under the age of 26 in New Jersey have been able to stay on their family’s insurance plan as a result of the ACA. Nearly 170,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the state have saved an average of $977 each on their drugs, totaling nearly $300 million since the law’s enactment. Additionally, over 800,000 Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey received at least one cost-free preventive service—such as an annual check-up, mammogram, or bone mass measurement—in 2012.

The ACA will allow New Jersey families looking for health coverage to purchase health insurance through the state’s Health Care Marketplace. The open enrollment period for the first year of the Marketplaces runs through March 31, 2014. For those who enroll by December 23, health coverage will begin on January 1, 2014.