b'Legislative Update New Jersey FiscalYear 2021 Budget By Jon BombardieriTECHNIQUE CouncilANJC Government Affairs Counsel Healthcare Fundingfacilities for what they spend on medical residents and interns.Update Governor Murphys plan also includes $211 million for the OUR HEALTHQuality Improvement Program, which uses state and federal funds to improve outcomes in maternal health, behavioral care and other areas. Another $20 million will be allocated for family-planning services. The governor doubled the amount for this fiscal budget, which he said was necessary due to federalfunding cuts. The governors fiscal year 2021 plan continues level funding for PAAD and senior gold, which is used to help lower-in-come Garden State seniors afford their medications. The governors budget provides $1.5 million for the Health Care Affordability and Transparency Office, which was In March, Governor Phil Murphy proposed his $40.85 billionannounced by the governor in his 2020 State of the State budget for fiscal year 2021, with a large portion of theAddress. This office will guide the administrations work budget going towards health care.on health care affordability and price transparency. The For New Jerseys hospitals, this includes nearly $767 millionoffice will develop a strategic plan for improved consumer in state and federal dollars for treating uninsured patients,affordability, health care quality, cost transparency and training new doctors and improving care. The plan alsotaxpayer savings.allocates nearly $15 billion for Medicaid, about two-thirds of which is from federal sources. These monies will be used to pay for hospitalizations and other medical care, including treatment for mental health and substance-use disorder.In the governors proposed budget, he allocates a $100 million to address the states opioid epidemic. The allocation will support efforts to prevent access to addictive drugs, expand treatment options, reduce risk for those with substance-use disorders and connect people with social services to improve their overall quality of life.The proposed budget provides for $269 million for charity care, where more than one-third of the hospital support comes through. This money is distributed among the states 71 acute-care hospitals based on a formula that takes into account what they spent on treating patients without insurance coverage. Additionally, this budget includes $70A series of public hearings will be held in the State House million for the states four psychiatric hospitals and Newarksand at other locations around the state to scrutinize the University Hospital. governors spending proposals and incorporate their own The budget provides $242 million for graduate medicalspending plan. The budget process culminates in mid- to education. This allocation is used to help New Jerseys 42late-June when lawmakers craft an appropriations bill that is teaching hospitals train the next generation of doctors andthen sent to the governor for final approval.other clinicians (for every $1 the state invests, federal officials allocate $2). That includes $218 million in funding for regularJon Bombardieri and his firm, CLB Partners, serve as the Govern-graduate medical education, designed to help compensatement Affairs Counsel to the ANJC.www.njchiropractors.com I 7'