Pallone Warns New Republican Law Will Strip Health Coverage from NJ Seniors

PISCATAWAY, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, joined seniors at the Piscataway Senior Center to condemn a newly signed Republican law that slashes more than $1 trillion from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act – cuts that will hit New Jersey’s seniors especially hard. The cuts will result in 15 million Americans losing their health coverage.

During the forum, Pallone explained how the Republican law –  he dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill” – threatens the health and financial security of millions of low-income seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid for premiums, prescriptions, and long-term care.

Pallone warned the law’s cuts will strip Medicaid coverage from more than 350,000 New Jerseyans, including half the state’s expansion population, by imposing new paperwork reporting requirements, doubling eligibility checks, and adding out-of-pocket costs for low-income individuals. He also noted that by adding trillions to the federal deficit, the law triggers automatic Medicare cuts that jeopardize access to care for seniors across the state.

“This law is a direct attack on Medicare and Medicaid,” Pallone said. “It’s going to throw hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans off their health care, gut the safety net for our most vulnerable residents, and destabilize the hospitals and long-term care facilities that seniors rely on. I fought this law every step of the way in the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I’m not done fighting it now.”

Local seniors in attendance shared personal stories about how Medicare and Medicaid helps them afford prescription drugs and in-home care. 

Pallone serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which was central to the fight over the law’s health care provisions. House Republicans advanced the legislation without Democratic support last month, and former President Donald Trump signed it into law shortly after.