This New Jersey bill requires most health insurance plans to cover the cost of diapers when a doctor deems them medically necessary for a patient. The law applies to a wide range of insurance types, including hospital and medical service contracts, individual policies, group plans, and small employer benefits. To ensure quick access to care, the bill mandates that insurers must pay for these medically necessary diapers without requiring prior approval or other administrative hurdles.
This bill expands New Jersey's certificate of need requirements to cover specific sale or lease agreements between hospital owners and real estate investment trusts. It mandates that the Department of Health review and approve these deals before they proceed, ensuring the transaction does not jeopardize public health or the hospital's financial stability. Additionally, the legislation requires these agreements to use a standardized contract form that includes protections like performance-based refund clauses, priority rights for lessees to buy the hospital, and flexible rent terms during financial hardships. Finally, the law requires hospital owners entering into such leases to submit annual financial reports detailing the costs associated with the agreement.
This bill allows licensed residential substance use disorder treatment facilities in New Jersey to offer residential mental health services to patients with co-occurring conditions. To qualify, these facilities must have a formal written partnership with a hospital that provides ongoing clinical oversight, medical staffing, and quality assurance. The legislation requires these partnerships to include shared treatment protocols, 24-hour psychiatric and medical consultation, and clear procedures for transferring patients to inpatient care when necessary. Facilities meeting these criteria must file their partnership agreements with the Department of Health and remain subject to existing state regulations.
This New Jersey bill requires health insurance plans and pharmacy benefit managers to cover drugs that must be administered by a clinician without charging patients extra fees or imposing special restrictions. It prohibits insurers from refusing to pay for these medications, forcing patients to use specific pharmacies, or penalizing them with higher copays simply because they receive care at a doctor's office or hospital rather than a pharmacy. Additionally, the law prevents insurers from denying coverage based on where the drug is administered, as long as it meets standard medical necessity criteria. While the bill allows insurers to suggest using home infusion services or external infusion sites, it does not make these options mandatory.
This New Jersey bill requires hospitals to obtain a state certificate of need before selling or leasing their property to real estate investment trusts, ensuring such deals do not jeopardize public health or the hospital's financial stability. The legislation mandates that these transactions use a standardized contract form developed by the Department of Health, which includes clauses allowing buyers to reclaim funds if performance targets are missed, giving priority to lessees in future sales, and permitting reduced rent during financial hardships. Additionally, the bill requires hospital owners to submit annual financial statements to the Department of Health regarding costs associated with these agreements.
This New Jersey bill prohibits health insurance carriers from refusing to cover nonopioid pain medications when a doctor prescribes them instead of opioids. It specifically bans insurers from requiring patients to try opioids first or from placing nonopioid drugs on higher cost tiers than opioid drugs in their coverage plans. The law also applies to state-run health benefit contracts for hospital and medical expenses, ensuring these nonopioid options are treated fairly regarding coverage rules and patient costs. While the bill prevents nonopioid drugs from being disadvantaged compared to opioids, it still allows insurers to prefer one type of drug over another within the same category.
This New Jersey bill requires most private health insurance plans to cover coronary artery calcium screening tests for eligible members. The screening is mandated for individuals aged 45 and older or those identified by a doctor as having an intermediate risk of heart disease based on standard medical calculations. Insurance companies must provide this coverage every five years, though doctors can recommend more frequent tests if a patient has specific underlying health conditions. The rule applies to hospital, medical, and health service corporations as well as individual policies issued or renewed in the state after the law takes effect.
This bill creates a legal process in New Jersey to quickly appoint a court-appointed receiver to take over a hospital that closes or stops essential services without following the required state approval rules. It directly affects the state Department of Health, city governments, and hospitals by giving them the authority to sue in court within three days to stop an unauthorized shutdown. If the court agrees that immediate action is needed, it can assign a neutral third party to manage the hospital's operations and ensure patient care continues while the situation is resolved. The law also requires that the person appointed to run the hospital cannot have any financial stake in the facility to prevent conflicts of interest.
This New Jersey bill requires all state-regulated health insurance plans to cover pain management services for patients undergoing outpatient gynecological procedures. It mandates that insurers treat these services the same as other medical conditions and prohibits them from labeling such pain management as elective or medically unnecessary. The law applies to a wide range of coverage types, including hospital, medical, and health service corporation contracts as well as individual and group health policies.
This bill allows licensed hospitals in New Jersey with pediatric units to temporarily admit adult patients into pediatric care areas or pediatric patients into adult care areas when their usual units are full. To ensure safety, the law requires that the opposite patient group be excluded from the unit during this time and that the hospital provides appropriate staff trained to treat the temporary patients. Additionally, the bill mandates that these patients be moved to their correct units as soon as a bed becomes available and clinically appropriate, after which the unit can resume normal operations. The New Jersey Commissioner of Health is tasked with creating specific rules to implement these flexible capacity measures.
