NJCA: Kean’s vote signals a war on healthcare for working families
NEWARK, NJ--May 14, 2025--New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) today blasted Congressman Tom Kean Jr.’s “Yes” vote for a markup by the House Energy and Commerce Committee that would upend Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and America’s healthcare system, deprive millions of people of health insurance, and increase costs for millions more. The proposed cuts are unnecessary and will be used to fund tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.
Those in greatest danger from the markup include:
- The 1.8 million New Jerseyans on NJ FamilyCare/ Medicaid who risk losing health coverage because of added bureaucracy and unnecessary paperwork for work requirements and eligibility determinations, as well as budget cuts.
- 60 percent of New Jersey’s nursing home residents and 1 in 3 of New Jersey’s children, including 42,000 undocumented children covered through Cover all Kids
- Hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities that would close or see their services curtailed because of budget cuts.
- More than 500,000 New Jerseyans who have healthcare through the ACA marketplace.
“Through his vote, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. chose to stand with billionaires and corporations and declare war on our healthcare system and New Jersey’s working families,” said Laura Waddell, Health Care Program Director for New Jersey Citizen Action. “This markup will deprive millions of people of their healthcare coverage and threaten the well-being of countless New Jerseyans, including the 73,200 Medicaid and 25,500 ACA recipients in his district. It will also make health care more expensive and less accessible for millions more as hospitals and clinics are forced to close and co-pays and premiums rise.”
“Voting for this markup promotes the myth that we can improve Medicaid by dropping recipients who are too lazy to work. In fact, 92 percent of adults on Medicaid work full-time or part-time, or are students, caregivers, or unable to work due to illness or disability. This bill would impose rigid, red-tape-laden work requirements, endangering health care for between 9.7 million 14.4 million people.
“Kean has also voted to put unsustainable strain on our state budget and to roll back the progress our state has made in providing quality, affordable healthcare to as many New Jerseyans as possible. This will be acutely felt by ACA Marketplace enrollees.
“Reduced tax credits and increased premiums will make coverage even more unaffordable; additional paperwork requirements, the prohibition of tax credits for plans that cover gender-affirming care, and the exclusion of the 16,000 DACA recipients in New Jersey—who only recently became eligible for ACA coverage—will further limit access to healthcare. Provisions that prioritize profits for Pharma companies above all else will also likely result in higher prescription drug prices for 1.3 million New Jersey Medicare enrollees.
“We urge Representative Kean to reconsider his vote if this bill reaches the House floor and call on all of Congress to follow the examples of Representatives Frank Pallone and Robert Menendez. Our lawmakers must vote “No” on any legislation that cuts Medicaid and healthcare for New Jersey’s working families to enrich billionaires and corporations.”