NJ Health Care Advocates Call For Restoration Of Medicaid Funding

As many as 300,000 New Jersey residents could lose Medicaid coverage under new federal funding cuts and eligibility changes. This prompted local health care workers, consumers, advocates, and elected officials to call for immediate action during a roundtable discussion in Hunterdon County.

New Jersey’s Medicaid program, NJ FamilyCare, provides health care to 1.8 million residents, roughly 19% of the state’s population. However, President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” passed in 2025, is expected to cut $3.6 billion in federal Medicaid funding for New Jersey, reducing residents’ access to their health insurance. The goal of this legislation is to root out “waste, fraud, and abuse,” according to U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Flemington).

Laura Waddell, health care program director for New Jersey Citizen Action, said that 25,000 Medicaid recipients are expected to lose their coverage on October 1 after new immigrant-status requirements take effect.

“Those folks are losing their coverage not because of any waste, fraud, or abuse. It’s because of…whatever reason, they’re not on a new narrow list of people that are, they, they have said, are now eligible,” said Waddell.

During the roundtable, participants opened up about their personal experiences with Medicaid and how they and their loved ones rely on it. 

Paul White, a handyman from Ringoes, said he has been on Medicaid since he was 26 due to multiple medical conditions that impede him from working physically full-time. White said he worries about losing his coverage due to cuts to both Medicaid funding and the staff of health care providers.

“I’m feeling panicked and anxious, filling out paperwork, sending it to somebody who has double the cases that they did last year. And when mistakes happen…services just stop,” said White.

Participants were also concerned about the pause on staffing investments at long-term health care facilities, including nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. 

Anthony Medina, political coordinator for the 1199SEIU health care workers union, said that halting staff growth will worsen the deterioration of long-term care facilities that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Medicaid reductions approaching, roundtable participants urged Rep. Kean to support efforts to restore funding to the program after he voted for the “Big Beautiful Bill.”  

Kean had taken a four-month leave of absence earlier this year to receive treatment for depression. Waddell said that Kean’s access to health care displays the importance of preserving Medicaid services for New Jerseyans who rely on the program for such health care.

“Congressman Kean is a millionaire who has access to resources and treatments many New Jerseyans can only dream of…,” Waddell said in a statement. “We urge him to work with other lawmakers to undo the damage he’s done and to ensure Medicaid and our country’s health care system works for everyone.” 

While participants supported restoring Medicaid funding, they also said the program requires additional improvements. 

Kate De Luca, a Readington resident, said that Medicaid has been “propped up” by unpaid labor from family caregivers, creating challenges for those without family support. She drew from her experience caring for her sister-in-law, who lives with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“I’m not asking to get paid for that,” said De Luca. “I do this because this is somebody I care deeply about…We are not worried about [my sister-in-law] losing her benefits. What we are worried about is what those benefits will look like.”

With Medicaid cuts and restrictions expected to take effect later this year, advocates have urged the state to take action. 

Michele Liebtag, the Frenchtown council president, called upon local leaders, union members, and their supporters to help restore Medicaid funding and improve the quality of health care that so many New Jerseyans depend on.

“We are calling on every member, every elected official, and every ally to raise their voices now, hold Congress accountable, and demand that Medicaid be protected before these attacks do lasting damage to our communities and our health care system,” Liebtag said in a statement.