New Jersey will charge fees to employers with low-income workers on Medicaid, and other states could follow suit
New Jersey employers whose workers are on Medicaid health coverage instead of workplace insurance will soon have to pay a new fee. Other states are considering it, too. Democratic lawmakers and governors see it as a way to help pay for the joint federal and state insurance program that covers low-income residents as federal policy changes are expected to make the program more expensive for states and may lead to a reduction in the number of people with coverage. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a measure Tuesday night to charge employers that have at least 50 workers covered by Medicaid , and the state budget she approved earlier in the week counts on raising $145 million this year from the program. Under the plan, companies will be billed for each employee and employee's dependents receiving Medicaid, the joint state-federal insurance program . The fees per person would start at $325 a year for companies with 50 to 249 Medicaid beneficiaries and top out at $725 annually for ...