HackensackUHN Applauds Governor Christie's Decision to Expand Medicaid Coverage

New Jersey's Most Vulnerable Citizens Will Greatly Benefit From Increased Eligibility

HACKENSACK, N.J., Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hackensack University Health Network is proud to support Governor Chris Christie's decision to accept federal financing in order to expand the state's Medicaid program.  The Governor's decision will augment the program to include all low-income residents with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level beginning January 1, 2014.  Therefore, New Jersey's most vulnerable citizens will now have increased access to critical health care services. Approximately 100,000 people will be covered by the expansion and up to 444,000 people could be covered by Medicaid by 2020. While 14 percent of HackensackUHN's patients are already enrolled in Medicaid, the health network looks forward to extending its care to the newly eligible patients. 

"Governor Christie's decision is great news for HackensackUHN, the healthcare industry, and most importantly for the hundreds of thousands of current and future New Jersey residents who will now have increased access to some of the best patient care options in the country," said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of HackensackUHN.  "Clearly, the Medicaid expansion is a victory for both the public health and economic security of the state and will further advance New Jersey's leadership in health policy."

In exchange for the state of New Jersey accepting the financing that was made available upon enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the federal government will cover 100 percent of the Medicaid expansion for three years and then eventually 90 percent of the cost by 2020.  Governor Christie is estimating that New Jersey taxpayers will save $227 million just in fiscal year 2014. Subsequent years under the program will produce additional savings as well.

Currently, as Northern New Jersey's largest healthcare system, HackensackUHN plays an integral role in making New Jersey among the most compassionate states in the country in terms of protecting and serving residents below or near the poverty line.  The state already has one of the most generous Medicaid programs in the nation, which includes the second highest enrollment rate for children, and this expansion will further increase access for those in need.

About Hackensack University Health Network
Hackensack University Health Network is the non-profit, New Jersey-based parent company of HackensackUMC, the HackensackUMC Foundation, Hackensack University HealthPartners Medical Group, and corporate joint venture partners with LHP Hospital Group (Dallas, TX) in ownership of two hospitals: HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley and HackensackUMC Mountainside. With more than 9,000 employees and 2,200 credentialed medical staff members at hospitals within the Network, Hackensack University Health Network is the largest healthcare system in northern New Jersey. The Network has current clinical collaborations and affiliations with Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, NYU Langone Medical Center's Division of Pediatric Surgery, Palisades Medical Center, and Saint Clare's Health System. It also formed a strategic alliance with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and a clinical affiliation with MinuteClinic, the retail healthcare division of CVS Caremark. For more information, go to www.HackensackUMC.org

About Hackensack University Medical Center
HackensackUMC, a non-profit teaching and research hospital located in Bergen County, New Jersey, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state, and home to the only Trauma Center in the county. This 775-bed facility has gone beyond traditional thinking by creating an entire campus of care, including: the Heart & Vascular Hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center, the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, and the Donna A. Sanzari Women's Hospital. As a result of using science and creativity to push medicine further, HackensackUMC was listed as the number one hospital in New Jersey and one of the top four New York metro area hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report, and has received nine national rankings in: Cancer; Cardiology & Heart Surgery; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology; Geriatrics; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Urology; and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital ranked as one of the Top 25 Best Children's Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the 2012-13 Best Children's Hospitals list. The medical center has also been named one of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® and one of America's 50 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades®. It is listed among the Leapfrog Top Hospitals List, received 19 Gold Seals of Approval™ by the Joint Commission, and is listed as one of the 50 Best Hospitals in America by Becker's Hospital Review. It was first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet® recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The medical center is the hometown hospital of the New York Giants, and remains committed to its community through fundraising and community events. To learn more about one of the nation's 50 best hospitals, visit: www.HackensackUMC.org.   

SOURCE Hackensack University Health Network