A new law in N.J. put an end to surprise medical bills for patients, but doctors win in most cases, study says
Updated Jan 10, 2021;
A landmark state law aimed at preventing thousands of patients from receiving surprise medical bills from out-of-network doctors and hospitals is a consumer success but does not save insurance companies as much money as they had hoped, according to a new study.
The 2018 law created an arbitration system for medical providers and insurance carriers fighting over who should pay for out-of-network treatment. An independent arbitrator may consider the work of the physician, the seriousness of the procedure and other factors, but ultimately must choose between either the bill from the medical provider or the amount the insurance carrier is offering to pay.
N.J. COVID vaccine: Users can now report errors with state’s online registration system
Updated Jan 07, 2021;
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After many New Jerseyans complained about problems with the state’s online system to pre-register for the coronavirus vaccine, the state sent out emails Wednesday allowing people to address issues with their sign-ups.
The email notifications, which started to go out late Wednesday, were meant to address questions about what users should do if they thought there was a mistake when they signed up.
Among the reported issues were health care workers who said they should have been assigned to Phase 1a but weren’t, and older people who said the system ignored their birthdate, which would have put them in the 1b category but they were instead put into 1c.
December 16, 2020 at 3:06 PM
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – A bill to address the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in long-term health care facilities and hospitals across the state was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy on Dec. 14. The legislation (S-2566/2677 and A-4282/4150), previously passed the Assembly in September (79-0) and the Senate in October (35-0) and takes effect immediately. This is an important piece of legislation, said Senator Patrick Diegnan (D-18th L.D.) of South Plainfield, a co-sponsor of the bill. This law will prevent the disproportionate amount of deaths that occurred in long-term care facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A State Senator in New Jersey wants the coronavirus vaccine made mandatory for all school age children, despite them being the least at risk group.
(Article by Steve Watson republished from Summit.news)
Middlesex Democrat Senator Joseph Vitale also wants to eliminate exemptions that have been used in the past to prevent their children from receiving shots.
“When it is that a vaccine is appropriate for children, I believe it ought to be included in that list of vaccines that are required for children,” Vitale told reporters.
“I’d like to incorporate it into the other vaccination bill that would require children to get vaccinated as a condition to entering school,” he added.