Mikie Sherrill will take office as the 57th Governor of New Jersey on January 20, 2026, and will become the second woman to occupy the governor’s office, Christie Todd Whitman, who served as governor from 1994 to 2001, was the first.
Healthcare policy was not the focus of Gov-elect Mikie Sherrill’s gubernatorial campaign, but her comments on the trail provide some hints on what her health agenda would look like.
Many of Sherrill’s positions are similar to the Murphy administration’s health care agenda, although there are some key differences.
Medicaid
Gov-elect Sherrill was very vocal in attacking the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, specifically Medicaid cuts it would cause during her administration, and has promised Sherrill has promised to “clawback” those funds.
Democrats, including Sherrill, opposed that law, specifically work and paperwork requirements for Medicaid recipients. Those provisions are expected to get more people removed from the Medicaid program. She has been threatening to sue the Federal Government over those requirements.
Abortion
Similar to Governor Murphy, Sherrill said she wants to stockpile mifepristone, an abortion drug. She also said she will support the Reproductive Health Equity Package, nine bills that include eliminating out-of-pocket costs for abortion and protections for providers of reproductive health and gender-affirming care. Like Murphy, Sherrill was also endorsed by Planned Parenthood.
Unlike Murphy, Sherrill wants to amend the state Constitution to explicitly mention abortion rights. Statehouse Democrats have previously floated amending the Constitution for abortion rights, although the proposal has not been supported by key constituencies like the ACLU of New Jersey and Planned Parenthood.
State Health Benefits Program
The State Health Benefits Program, which provides health insurance coverage for state and local government employees, is headed towards collapse. Sherrill’s main proposal to shore up the program is to find savings via a third-party auditor, although Murphy already signed a bill into law in 2019 that requires a third-party medical claims reviewer.
Sherrill has also endorsed reference-based pricing, a model where health care providers are reimbursed for services by a percentage of a benchmark rather than rates that are negotiated. Murphy has not publicly commented on reference pricing, although state officials have rejected proposals to implement the pricing model.
Sherrill is also proponent of some of the reference-based pricing for surgeries that are done very often, such as hips and knee, and more transparency by hospitals.
Pharmacy benefit managers
Sherrill has blamed pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, for jacking up prescription costs. PBMs negotiate drug prices between drugmakers and insurers and are often referred to as the middlemen of the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Sherrill’s main proposal is to require PBMs pass on savings they receive directly to customers rather than using them to profit. Typically, PBMs send savings they receive on drugs back to insurers, to lower premium costs across the board. Sherrill’s proposal was included in a bill package supported by Murphy. The Murphy administration has also sought to further regulate PBMs by requiring licensure.
Casino smoking
Casinos are one of the few places New Jerseyans can still smoke indoors. Despite a spirited lobbying campaign from a group of casino workers to end the exemption, the industry and its main unions have successfully opposed such efforts.
Sherrill has been non-committal on supporting a smoking ban. Murphy has said he would sign such a ban if it reached his desk.
Gov-elect Sherrill other priorities:
- Making Energy More Affordable and Reliable
- Saving You Time and Money: Getting Government to Work for New Jerseyans
- Kids Mental Health and Online Safety
- Lowering Housing Costs and Expanding Homeownership
- Transportation and Infrastructure Innovation
- Fiscal Responsibility and Government Accountability
- Delivering a Strong Education for New Jersey Children
- Jobs, Opportunity, and Prosperity for All
- Driving New Jersey Forward: Economic Development and Innovation
Jon Bombardieri
ANJC Government Affairs Counsel
Jon Bombardieri is the ANJC Government Affairs Counsel and Managing Partner at CLB Partners. He has extensive experience in government and public policy, having served as Executive Director of the New Jersey General Assembly and Policy Advisor for the Assembly Majority Office, where he was instrumental in drafting and passing the New Jersey Energy Deregulation Act.