Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris) says Assemblyman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) is overstating the effects of the budget cuts
TRENTON — A coalition of advocates and social service providers expressed concern about Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget cuts, as well as his plan to overhaul Medicaid.
The comments came during an informal round table session this morning hosted by the Assembly Budget Committee.
The cuts in reimbursement rates to nursing homes and adult day care centers dominated the conversation, with advocates arguing it will force facilities to close and push residents into hospitals.
“People don’t go into nursing homes because they want to, it’s because they have to,” said Andrew Aronson, with the Nursing Home Alliance.
He said nursing homes provide a low-cost alternative to hospitals, where he says residents will be forced to go if nursing homes close or stop taking the poorest residents.
Assemblyman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) spent several minutes lamenting the pain the governor’s plan will inflict on the state’s most vulnerable population.
The comments drew a sharp response from Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-Morris), who said Coleman was overstating the effects of the budget cuts.
“The sky is not falling,” said Webber. “It didn’t fall last year, and it won’t fall this year.”
A visibly angry Coleman responded, “Maybe the sky didn’t fall in your neighborhood, but it fell in several of my neighborhoods. That’s your problem, you talk about things you don’t know.”
Nearly all of the 13 speakers expressed concern about the lack of details about the governor's plan to overhaul Medicaid, through what is known as a global waiver, which has only been approved in two other states. Christie hopes to save $300 million with the waiver, but has yet to explain how or who will be affected.
"We don’t know a lot about what that means," said Lowell Arye, executive director of the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with Disabilities. "It may give us flexibility, but there are savings of $300 million, and we don’t know what that means."
The public may get a clearer picture of the governor's plans later today, when the panel will hear from the state Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez and acting Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary O’Dowd.
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