On Thursday, the state announced that those who would have lost coverage will be enrolled immediately in a new program specifically for residents at higher income levels, between 300 and 500 percent of the federal poverty level. New enrollment for patients who fall in the income guidelines and meet other program requirements also will be permitted, said Donna Leusner, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Health and Senior Services Commissioner Poonam Alaigh said the state learned recently that it would receive $5 million more in rebates from pharmaceutical companies than previously expected. That money, along with additional federal AIDS funds, will allow the department to enroll those whose coverage would have been dropped in a new program, Temporary AIDS Supplemental Rebate and Federal Relief Program.
"The department faced extremely difficult budget choices and worked continuously to explore every possible option to reverse this reduction and to maintain access," Alaigh said.
One lawmaker who has been working to restore coverage said it never should have been jeopardized because the "new" funding has been known about for weeks.
Sen. Joseph Vitale (D., Middlesex) said he has been trying to tell the Department of Health and Senior Services for weeks that additional monies would be coming in and that a reduction in coverage would not be necessary.
"What's discouraging is that they don't pay attention," Vitale said. "The governor is nowhere on health care in this state. We're taking giant steps backward."
"I'm frustrated to hear that he creates a crisis and then he solves a crisis," he added.
Leusner said state officials did not learn until "several weeks after the budget was adopted" that New Jersey would receive sufficient funding in rebates to create the new program.
