State Policy · NJ
Medicaid Cuts Become Flashpoint in NJ's 7th District House Race
Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett and incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R) are clashing over Medicaid policy in New Jersey's competitive 7th Congressional District race. Bennett joined a bus tour organized by advocacy group Protect Our Care highlighting federal Medicaid cuts from the 2025 reconciliation law, which could push more than 350,000 people off NJ Family Care and cost the state over $3 billion annually in federal hospital funding. Kean, who voted for the law, defends it as necessary to protect long-term solvency of Medicaid and Medicare, citing projected federal spending growth. The race, seen as a national bellwether, underscores how Medicaid changes enacted last year are shaping 2026 midterm campaigns.
Why it mattersState Medicaid officials and hospitals in New Jersey face a potential loss of hundreds of thousands of enrollees and billions in federal hospital funding depending on the political outcome of this and similar races nationwide.