March 16, 2017

Governor Chris Christie
Office of the Governor
125 W State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608

Dear Governor Christie:

I stand with millions of New Jerseyans as I write to you and urge you to speak out against President Trump and the Republican leadership’s reckless, irresponsible, and dangerous health care plan.

The latest Republican attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act is a train wreck waiting to happen. We should never allow politics to jeopardize the lives of 800,000 New Jersey residents – and their basic right to affordable health care. Yet after seven years of relentless Republican attacks on the Affordable Care Act, we are now facing the reality of the Republicans’ half-baked “plan.” As the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office made clear, this proposal would strip away health coverage from 24 million Americans and, at the same time, hand out $275 billion in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

The consequences are enormous for New Jersey’s working and middle class families. Our state depends on $3 billion in federal funding each year for the Medicaid expansion, which provides health coverage to low-income adults who would otherwise be uninsured. This coverage has been a lifeline for over 500,000 residents of our state, while also reducing the need for state Charity Care funding. I know you agree with me: just last August you declared that participating in the expansion was “the right decision for New Jersey.”

The Republican plan would eviscerate these protections. Beginning in 2020, this plan would significantly cut federal funding to New Jersey, eliminating coverage for many of our state’s most vulnerable. For far too many on Medicaid, health care will once again revert from a right to a privilege, simply because of their ability to pay. They will be told to go without essential treatments and will again turn to costly emergency room care, with the bill being picked up by New Jersey taxpayers.

It doesn’t end there. An additional 300,000 New Jerseyans are only able to afford health coverage through the individual marketplace thanks to $1 billion in annual federal tax credits. The Republican proposal will cut the average tax credit for New Jerseyans by 30 percent. New Jersey’s older and lower-income residents will be left to shoulder most of the burden: a 60-year-old resident of Essex County making $40,000 a year will see his tax credit cut in half – a reduction of over $4,000.

The list goes on: Women’s health services, mental health services, and support for individuals with disabilities are all under attack. So, too, is coverage for those in need of treatment for substance abuse and addiction – an epidemic that, as you have articulated, is reaching crisis levels in our state.

This Republican plan is an attack on all New Jerseyans, and I ask you to please take a stand. It places hundreds of thousands of our residents at risk. It would wreak devastating consequences on our already-constrained state budget. Plain and simple, it would cripple our state.

A growing number of Republican Senators, Representatives, and Governors have vocalized their concerns and objections to this so-called “plan.” Last August, you boasted about your record of bucking your party to provide cost-effective coverage to hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans. I ask you to please do so again.

Please publicly oppose any Republican efforts to strip health coverage from New Jerseyans. As Governor, you are responsible for safeguarding the interests of the people of New Jersey. Please take a stand.

Sincerely,

Philip D. Murphy