ASSEMBLY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND INSURANCE COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 5199

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 19, 2025

      The Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5199.

This bill requires that enrollment for health care coverage under the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for eligible resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, including University Hospital, and their dependents, be available on the first day of employment for new hires, and on the bill’s effective date for such current employees.

     Delays in health care coverage and access to life-saving medicine can be dangerous and cause debilitating health care debt during emergencies.  In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor signed Executive Order 172 allowing public employees to immediately enroll in the SHBP.  However, the ability to immediately enroll was eliminated when the Governor later signed Executive Order 244 in 2021, which ended the public health emergency.  This bill provides for immediate enrollment for eligible resident and fellow physicians employed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, including University Hospital, and their dependents.