Top Three Bills to Watch in New Jersey This Week

Three bills on this week’s legislative calendar to watch….

S1772 Statewide Emergency Medical Services System Development and Coordination
Senate Health Committee Agenda

Requires Department of Health to come up with and implement a state wide system (EMS)  that covers planning, cost accountability, integration and oversight.   This could strengthen statewide coordination of EMS response, improve response time, reduce staff shortages and create more consistent coverage.

but…..

Without clear funding mechanisms it might just be another nice idea that costs money with no real impact. Consolidation or restructuring could also create problems and local resistance depending on implementation,

S2959 MyNJHelps Public Assistance System Modernization
Senate Health Committee agenda

Requires Department of Human Services to redesign MyNJHelps into a centralized resource for multiple assistance programs including SNAP and NJFamilyCare. Using one system instead of having folks run back and forth from one agency site to another to fill out applications will make life easier for consumers. It can also mean the people who need services will be more likely to access them and may improve efficiency and reduce SOME costs by streamlining service delivery.  

but….

It might need significant investment and a bad roll out might create access disruptions. Hiccups integrating data might also create delays and could actually work to increase administrative burden.

S1032 Network Adequacy Standards for Physician Specialists
Senate Commerce Committee agenda

Changes health insurance network rules so folks have timely access to certain in-network providers (anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists and emergency physicians) as a way of reducing sticker shock for surprise out of network services.

We’ve all been here.

This bill pushes insurers to deliver what they promise on paper and reduces unexpected costs for patients.

but…

Higher compliance and contracting costs may lead to higher premiums; can also lead to contracting disputes with providers on reimbursement and network participation. Rigidity may lead to other problems in markets where specialist are already limited.

Source Documents