New Jersey Women’s Health Law
Posted March 23rd, 2018 by Anthony Carbone, PC.
Categories: Legal Topics.
A few weeks ago, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently signed his first bill into state law – legislation that will set aside $7.5 million in funding for family-planning and women’s health. This new bill is reversing the course of the former administration’s handling of the issue.
This bill is actually two separate pieces of litigation. The first is NJ A2134, and its sole purpose is to expand the budget for family planning services. Funding will help Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics around the state. According to an article from Politico, the hope is that the funding from the bill will provide “treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screenings, and birth control.”
NJ A1656, the second part of the bill, extends Medicaid eligibility for family planning services to people who make up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The current cutoff of the federal poverty line is 100 percent.
The new bill also plans to remove restrictions in New Jersey Family Care, an insurance program for people of a lower income. It specifically targets mothers and attempts to prevent them receiving long-acting reversible contraceptives after childbirth.
Governor Murphy said the changes to the new bill will decrease the chances of rapid repeat pregnancies that increase the risks of complications in childbearing, which include low birth weight and an increased rate of preterm delivery.
According to the Governor: “New Jersey will once again stand up for women’s health.” His goal is to make the Garden State an outlier compared to the rest of the nation when it comes to women’s health.
Does This Affect You?
If you are an expecting or new mother in the Garden State, these new laws are geared towards you. However, with any new law, it could be misunderstood. And when that happens, your checkbook might be taken for a ride.
Don’t let that happen. At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we are here to help people understand the laws and protect them from people who like to take advantage of them. You should also consider contacting the New Jersey Department of Health’s Offices of Legal and Regulatory Compliance. Their offices provide guidance on the statutes and rules governing one’s health.
If you are the victim of misinterpretation or just need some guidance on how the law can help you, contact our offices today for a free consultation.
