Health
NJ State Health Benefits Program Committee Approves State-Worker Health-Benefit Cuts – On September 24th, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) design committee approved changes that raise copays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket maximums for active state workers, in particular for out-of-network care and prescriptions. These changes were enacted to meet budget-mandated savings and reduce the state’s spending on employee benefits by $150 million in 2026. GLP-1 drugs (e.g., Wegovy) will require higher copays ($45 with a lifestyle program, $125 without). Retirees in SHBP system will not be affected by these design changes. Earlier in the month, the State Health Benefits Commission approved a 20% premium increase for the state workers’ plans and a 37% increase for local government plans administered by the state. In July, New Jersey’s approved budget for fiscal year 2026 included language which required officials to identify and implement $100 million in savings this fiscal year, and total $200 million over the course of 2026.
Department of Health Releases New Regulations on Embryo Storage – On September 15th, the New Jersey Department of Health introduced new “biobanking compliance” rules to regulate egg and embryo storage in the Garden State. These new regulations would require cryopreservation facilities that store eggs and embryos to be licensed and establish specific standards for equipment management and recordkeeping. State legislators ordered these regulations in a 2019 law in response to failures at cryopreservation facilities in Ohio and California which resulted in the loss of thousands of embryos and eggs intended for in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology.
Concerns Over Access to Gender-Affirming Care in NJ in Wake of Executive Order – On September 25, New Jersey Monitor published reports alleging that some medical providers in New Jersey are suspending or scaling back gender-affirming care for minors out of concern over federal directives that threaten funding for such services. This raises serious risks to the health, well-being, and access to care for transgender youth in the state. In January 2025, President Trump signed an executive order which directed federal agencies and funding programs to restrict or withdraw support for gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 years old. In response to this order, some hospital systems have already paused or limited new pediatric patients for gender-affirming care.