Posted on 02/26/2013 1:54:21 PM PST by Mozilla
Gov. Chris Christie will expand the state's Medicaid program to cover 300,000 uninsured New Jersey residents, The Star-Ledger learned today.
The governor's new budget, which he plans to unveil at joint session of the Legislature this afternoon, also relies on state revenue growth of 4.9 percent and delays some property tax rebates for local taxpayers, according to three sources with knowledge of the budget plan who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The governor's revenue forecast this year is a much smaller jump than the optimistic 8 percent growth of last year, a goal he has not met.
The sources also said Christie would call for the delay of some property tax relief funds from this spring to this summer, a tactic that could give him some much-needed breathing room to close a $473 million budget shortfall by deferring the cost to the next fiscal year.
The governor 's office has not released details of the budget, but state officials were briefed on his plans this morning. He is expected to provide details later today as well as lay out a roadmap for financing a huge rebuilding effort after Hurricane Sandy.
Spokesmen for Christie did not respond to a request for comment.
As for his decision to expand Medicaid, the Republican governor, a critic of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, could reap up to $300 million by expanding the state program in the coming budget year.
For weeks, a coalition of labor, religious, family and consumer groups waged an aggressive letter-writing and media campaign encouraging Christie to expand the Medicaid program. Doing so, they argued, would allow 300,000 uninsured and childless people to apply for Medicaid.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Bigger and bigger government, unrealistic growth expectations and delays giving back money to the taxpayer...
What could go wrong?
I’m sure this won’t cost anything
/sarc
Now that he’s blown his fiscal conservative cover, now what?
If you think waiting times in the doctor’s office are long now...
I suspect he will be running for office as a marxist next time.
Fat and Stupid.
Next step has to be to try to stop him from running for president of the United States. He is the same thing as Romney, McCain and Dole.
Man- that guy will do anything for donuts and a ride on Air Force One.
Would the majority in NJ even care?
Ah! More CommieCare. (Let’s see, what political party was Governor Christie supposed to subscribe to?)
Well looks like Christie squashed the pooch.
So I’ll be paying for every unemployed, heavy metal, weed-smoking, mullet hair-wearing moron who rides New Jersey transit to a Jersey Devils game while wearing embarrassing makeup. Even Seinfeld couldn’t make this up.
Some things never change.
Christie is going to make a wonderful democrat.
300,000 people added to Medicaid. They left out how many new doctors will be added.
His this rotting lump of adipose tissue turned DemoRAT yet???
Sorry ... HAS
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