TRENTON — Lawmakers who were hoping to come away from today's budget hearing with a better understanding of Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to overhaul Medicaid may be disappointed. “I love mystery books. I read them on the weekend. This budget is full of mysteries, but I don’t know who the victims are,” said Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Hudson), referring to...
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State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff (right) appears in this 2010 file photo. TRENTON — Lawmakers who were hoping to come away from today's budget hearing with a better understanding of Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to overhaul Medicaid may be disappointed.
“I love mystery books. I read them on the weekend. This budget is full of mysteries, but I don’t know who the victims are,” said Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Hudson), referring to the lack of details on the Medicaid changes.
Christie is hoping to save $300 million from overhauling Medicaid through a global waiver from the federal government. The administration has yet to detail how the waiver will change Medicaid, and the public and lawmakers have expressed frustration at the uncertainty in recent weeks.
When asked to provide specifics during an Assembly Budget Committee hearing today, New Jersey Treasurer Andrew P. Sidamon-Eristoff said he'll defer to other departments heads who will explain the changes in the upcoming weeks.
He did say the waiver would give the state flexibility to determine eligibility requirements and what programs to fund.
Sidamon-Eristoff said the savings are “reasonable and doable.” However, he said the savings would not be realized until after the waiver is approved, but he did not provide a specific time-line for the approval.
He said the federal government has expressed an interest in working with the states and he believes that will help speed up the process.
If the waiver is delayed or denied, Sidamon-Eristoff said the administration would have to come up with an alternative plan.
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• Christie vetoes bill to expand Medicaid to more women seeking family-planning services
• Christie may propose cutting Medicaid spending, employee benefits to help close $10.5B budget gap
• N.J. residents concerned over proposed Medicaid changes at first Senate budget hearing
• Christie budget to cut $540M from Medicaid funds, transfer participants into managed care
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