On Thursday, April 9th, Dr. Raynard Washington, Acting Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Health (DOH), testified before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee regarding the FY2027 budget, focusing on healthcare affordability, transparency, children’s health, and efficient service delivery.
During his testimony, Acting Commissioner Washington highlighted the $3.6 billion allocated to hospitals through programs such as Charity Care, Graduate Medical Education, and Medicaid outpatient payments, as well as his department's work on extending the Quality Improvement Program. He also discussed the $147 million for rural health initiatives, including support for telehealth, workforce, and prevention. H.R.1, also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” was also discussed and is expected to cut more than $3 billion annually from New Jersey’s hospitals and public health. He highlighted coverage losses and increased emergency visits, stressing the importance of maintaining Charity Care and improving primary care access.
For NJAMHAA members, the federal funding reductions outlined in H.R.1 have significant implications for the Medicaid funding streams, workforce pipelines, and hospital partnerships that behavioral health and substance use recovery providers rely on to sustain community-based care across New Jersey.
Asked about the high cost of temporary staffing in state psychiatric facilities, Dr. Washington stated that hiring full-time staff remains a challenge. He also stressed the importance of funding to prepare for the World Cup, which will bring more than a million visitors to the state. Other areas his testimony touched on included population health, maternal health, youth mental health, substance use treatment, vaccinations and emergency planning.
The Assembly Budget Committee has its DOH departmental budget meeting scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on April 22nd.
