Politics & Government
Report: More N.J. Residents Have Health Coverage Due to Obamacare
Most newly insured residents are Medicaid participants, according to a new survey
The number of New Jerseyans who have no medical insurance has dropped since the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, has been implemented, a report said Friday.
NJ Spotlight reported that the percentage of state residents between 18 and 65 years old without insurance fell from 21.2 percent in Sept. 2013 to 13.2 percent in March 2014, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Monitoring Survey.
The report said the 13.2 percent figure represented the lowest number of uninsured New Jerseyans since 1990.
While more insured residents was touted as good news, it could come with a cost.
According to the NJ Spotlight report, two thirds of those newly insured under the Affordable Care Act's health insurance exchange in New Jersey are covered by the expansion of Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health care program that costs $16,105 per individual or $32,913 for a family of four.
A similar survey will be conducted in June by the foundation. For more, read the full report on NJ Spotlight.
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