MEDIA ADVISORY - VITALE, LAWMAKERS TO ANNOUNCE UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PLAN ON MONDAY

TRENTON – On Monday, March 17, Senator Joseph F. Vitale will announce his plan for a phased-in program to provide universal health care access for all New Jerseyans at a news conference in the Statehouse Annex.

“In our State’s current fiscal climate, we need to seek out better ways to fund New Jersey’s most sacred obligations,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “The soaring costs of health care in New Jersey and around the nation are causing real hardships, not just for government-administered health care programs but also for private citizens who fear losing their health benefits more than being a victim of a terrorist attack. Frankly, we cannot afford the status quo any longer, and must adopt a more cost-effective model to ensure affordable, high-quality health care for every New Jersey resident.”

Senator Vitale will be joined by Senator Bob Singer, R-Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer and Burlington, a member of the Senate health panel; Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, D-Camden, the Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee; Assemblyman Neil Cohen, D-Union, the Chair of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, and David Knowlton, President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.

Senator Vitale’s plan would call for a phase-in of State-administered affordable health insurance for the uninsured, as well as market reforms to drive down the costs of private insurance for small employer and individually-purchased health insurance plans. The ultimate goal, according to the Senator, is to require that every New Jersey resident have some form of health insurance within the next three years.

The news conference will be held at 11:30 A.M. in Committee Room 3 in the Statehouse Annex.

WHO: Senator Joseph Vitale, Senator Bob Singer, Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, Assemblyman Neil Cohen, David Knowlton, President of New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute

WHAT: News Conference to Announce Plan for Universal Health Care

WHEN: Monday, March 17 at 11:30 A.M.

WHERE: Committee Room 3, Statehouse Annex, Trenton