Tony Bawidamann – Vice President, Government Affairs
On Monday May 13, DOBI Commissioner Marlene Caride testified before the Assembly Budget Committee about her Department’s budget that totals $64,013,000.
The commissioner said the Murphy administration has made access to affordable healthcare insurance a priority. DOBI is implementing two laws passed by the Legislature to establish a reinsurance program and continue the requirement that New Jersey residents maintain health coverage now that the individual mandate has been repealed at the federal level. She said these two state laws have resulted in a 9.3 percent reduction in premium rates in the individual market for 2019.
Commissioner Caride said the administration continues to defend against rollbacks in the benefits afforded to residents under the federal Affordable Care Act. To counter this, the Murphy administration will establish a New Jersey State-Based Health Exchange for 2021.
Commissioner Caride also provided an update on the Department’s continued implementation of the Out-of-Network law aimed at protecting consumers from ‘surprise’ medical bills. The regulations for this law will be released sometime this summer.
