NJCAN
The New Jersey Chapter Advocacy Network (NJCAN) advocates for many issues important to those living with MS and their friends and family. We advocate for better laws regarding health care, housing, transportation, research and more. Click here for a full list (.doc) and detailed descriptions of everything the NJCAN advocates for.
Click here for the health-care principles we support. (PDF)
Horizon/CHOP/HUP
In September 2008 Horizon, the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced that their hospital network agreements were terminated. This has a significant impact on people with multiple sclerosis as more than 3,000 people have the disease in the South Jersey region and seek their medical care from one of these centers. Learn more (.doc).
Proposed Horizon Blue Cross / Blue Shield of NJ Conversion
The transformation of a non-profit health insurer into a for-profit, stockholder corporation is not just a technical corporate change. It is a community decision about how we want to arrange and pay for health care. Due to the potential short- and long-term impacts of this proposed change on consumers of healthcare in New Jersey, there are several considerations to take into account when considering application for such a conversion. Learn more (.doc).
Bills we are supporting:
NJ Bill A-2889
Specifically, A-2889 makes various changes to the state’s PASP program in the Division of Disability Services in the Department of Human Services. The PASP program provides routine, non-medical assistance to adults with disabilities who are employed, involved in community volunteer work or attending school. Personal assistants help with tasks such as light housekeeping, bathing, dressing, preparing meals, shopping, driving or using public transportation. The number of hours of help that a person receives depends on individual need, up to 40 hours per week. It should be noted that individuals with MS comprise 40% of the users of the state’s PASP program. The changes are designed to give the people receiving assistance control over how they use the program’s funds and who they employ. This legislation signals a departure from the current model, in which county offices exercise a large amount of control over the dispersal of state funding and services and contract with service providers on behalf of the funding recipients.
Visit the New Jersey Legislature website for more. Type in A2889 to read the full bill.
(Please note, you must type in A when searching for this bill.)
Bill tracker:
What pieces of legislation are we currently watching? View our bill tracker (PDF) and our bill chart (PDF) to learn more about all the bills currently being tracked in New Jersey.
National MS Society - MS Active NJ 