Gov. Christie Appoints NJBIA’s Mary Beaumont to the Individual Health Coverage Program Board

NJBIA Vice President Mary Beaumont is one of the newest board members of New Jersey’s Individual Health Coverage (IHC) Program, the state-run health insurance market for people without access to employer or government sponsored healthcare programs. She has been nominated and confirmed by the Senate to serve as one of two employer representatives on the nine-member body.

“This is an honor that comes with a great deal of responsibility,” Beaumont said. “Our members consistently rate the cost of health insurance as their biggest challenge, and my job is to make sure the board considers the issue of cost when designing the individual health plans available for the IHC.”

“Mary has been a fantastic advocate for employers in the Legislature, so this is a natural fit,” said NJBIA President Michele Siekerka. “She has a tremendous ability to translate how government proposals will work in the real world, which is usually very different from how they’re supposed to work on paper.”

Beaumont, of Cream Ridge in Upper Freehold Township, is an attorney who has served as vice president for Health and Legal Affairs at NJBIA since July 2015. During her career, she has been a regulator for the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance and has over 15 years’ legislative experience as a staff member of the Office of Legislative Services and for the late Assemblyman Alex DeCroce. Beaumont has maintained a special expertise in state insurance issues.

The IHC Program was created in 1992 to provide private-sector insurance coverage for the self-employed and other individuals and their families. The board has the general powers and authority under New Jersey law of a health insurance company, but cannot issue health benefits plans.  It oversees the design of the health benefits plan offered to ensure that they comply with state law.

Individuals, regardless of their age or health status, are guaranteed renewable health coverage under standard individual health benefits plans designed by the Individual Health Coverage Program Board