Memo to: NJ Senate and Assembly
From: Ann Twomey, HPAE
RE: S2134 and S2139, Health Care funding
June 24, 2010

On behalf of the 12,000 nurses and healthcare workers of HPAE, I am writing to ask that you support access for low and moderate income families to essential health services in this year’s budget appropriations. In each case these appropriations would not only provide critical funding, but would release additional federal dollars.

S2134 (Vitale) would provide a supplemental appropriation of $24.6 million in State funds and $45.7 million in federal funds to the DHSS. Funds for family care were severely reduced earlier this year, affecting thousands of parents, including 11,700 legal immigrants. By this July 1st about 20,000 parents will lose or be denied health coverage and if the cuts are extended until next year that number will rise to 69,000.

S2139 (Weinberg) would provide a supplemental appropriation of $7,453,000 for Women's Health and Family Planning Services for State fiscal year 2010-2011 and requires filing of application for expansion of Medicaid coverage for family planning services

By adopting this measure, NJ would receive $9 for every $1 spent for women’s health services, including family planning, health screening, breast exams and AIDS testing. The 2011 budget proposed by Governor Christie eliminated this appropriation, both drastically reducing poor and moderate income women from receiving preventive care, and reducing federal funding available to provide essential women’s health services.

In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever to continue to provide essential health services to our families. In each case, these programs also help reduce the number of uninsured who visit our ERs, often due to lack of preventive care, health screenings or primary care. In many cases, we can avoid these extra costs - in lives and funding – by providing access to primary care physicians, and care in more appropriate settings.

I urge your support for S2134 and S2139. Thank you