Timothy Donnelly (left) and Adam Fitzgerald (right) were the featured readers at the monthly poetry series, sponsored by the South Brunswick Arts Commission, at the South Brunswick Library on Sunday, Dec. 9. For more on the series, including the upcoming schedule, contact Hank Kalet at otherhalf@comcast.net.
My latest piece from NJ Spotlight on the minimum wage battle in New Jersey.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora has decided to take Gov. Chris Christie up on his offer with legislation that would put the question of marriage equality before voters in November.
Gusciora, the first openly gay man in the state Legislature, has up until now been opposed
to putting a civil rights question like marriage equality up to a popular vote. But the Assemblyman — New Jersey’s first openly gay legislator — said his constituents asked him to change his mind in light of last month’s election results.
“I am the last person who believes civil rights should be on the ballot, but civil rights delayed is civil rights denied,” Gusciora said. “The timing is right. There is broader acceptance.”
Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality has remained opposed — I haven’t talked to him since Gusciora introduced the bill, but he has been adamant in his opposition to a referendum.
I’m with Gusciora on this. The political realities in the state preclude advancement of marriage equality through the Legislature. The governor is opposed, but has promised not to stand in the way of a referendum. There are a handful of Republicans who support marriage equality, but they are unlikely to buck the governor, meaning that there will not be enough votes to override.
So the ballot seems the only option and, given the recent successes in Maine and Maryland, along with the polling, this seems the best approach.
It certainly isn’t a surprise, but it should leave those who thought they saw a shift in Chris Christie’s approach to his job, post Sandy, who thought Christie had become some kind of moderate compromiser.
Yes, he compromised on pension reform, though the bill he signed was not that far from the proposal he originally put forth.
And, yes, he has shown a willingness to work with Democrats on occasion, though we must view this willingness within the larger context: His occasional treks across the aisle have not been all that frequent. Christie looks moderate, but only within a Republican Party that probably wouldn’t have anything to do with Ronald Reagan or Barry Goldwater.
That said, the veto today of state Senate Bill S-2135 leaves about a half-million New Jerseyans outside of the health-insurance market — that is one in 18 residents who make too much for Medicaid and work at jobs that, so far, that do not offer insurance.
The legislation called for a state-based exchange, which Raymond Castro of New Jersey Policy Perspective said in July would offer the best way to “meet the unique needs of New Jersey.” According to Castro,
• The proposed state exchange creates an oversight board that prohibits conflicts of interest; a federal exchange may not have as strong a protection against decisions that favor private over public interests.
• The proposed state exchange actively negotiates on behalf of consumers to get the lowest insurance rates; a federal exchange will not do this for at least the first few years.
• The proposed state exchange allows for a seamless consumer enrollment experience by creating a “one-stop-shop” for insurance, whether the resident is seeking Medicaid, private-market insurance, or any other type of coverage. A federal exchange will make it more difficult to create an easy-to-use interface for New Jerseyans.
• New Jersey already has some of the highest standards for health insurance in the nation; these standards should be considered when creating an exchange – a more likely scenario if the state sets it up than if the federal government does.
Christie said he vetoed the exchange bill because “the federal government has failed to provide critical information and to answer basic questions about the operation and implementation of each of the options provided, making any decision made now hasty, incomplete, and perhaps fiscally detrimental to the taxpayers of New Jersey.”
But there is more to it. Remember, Christie has opposed the Affordable Care Act from its inception, has argued against Medicaid expansion and appears willing to follow other Republican governors in efforts to derail President Obama’s health reforms.
A release on the governor’s Web site offered this explanation:
The creation of health care exchanges is provided for in the Affordable Care Act as the vehicle for eligible individuals and businesses to access care, with three exchange options being given to states: Federally Facilitated, Partnership, or State-based. Though the federal government’s deadline for states to select the type of exchange they will participate in is nearly here, New Jersey and all other states still await substantial federal guidance on all three options.
“We will comply with the Affordable Care Act, but only in the most efficient and cost effective way for New Jersey taxpayers. Such an important decision as how to best move forward for New Jerseyans can only be understood and reasonably made when fairly and fully compared to the overall value of the other options. Until the federal government gives us all the necessary information, any other action than this would be fiscally irresponsible,” said Governor Christie. “Thus far, we lack such critical information from the federal government. I will not ask New Jerseyans to commit today to a State-based Exchange when the federal government cannot tell us what it will cost, how that cost compares to other options, and how much control they will give the states over this option that comes at the cost of our state’s taxpayers.”
But waiting is not going to save the state money, because it could leave the state scrambling to put something together late in the process — delaying, as Castro pointed out today, also prevents the state from seeking applications for coverage and shortens the time within which it has to review proposals from companies seeking to participate.
The governor can blame the president. He can blame the rest of the administration and Congress. He can even blame the Legislature. But, as Castro points out, he has “been studying this issue for two years with federal planning dollars.”
The state should be reaching out and educating the public about the new opportunities for affordable health coverage by now – but it hasn’t even decided who will run the exchange. Further delay will mean many will not know about the exchange, and fewer uninsured New Jerseyans will obtain health coverage. We can’t afford for that to happen.
The governor took charge during Hurricane Sandy and showed real leadership. Can we say the same thing about him on this issue?
