New Jersey Free Clinics Brace for Surge as Medicaid Rolls Shrink
New Jersey Monitor reports that free and low-cost health clinics across the state are preparing for rising demand as federal funding cuts take hold, with officials projecting more than 300,000 people will lose NJ Family Care, the state's Medicaid program, and federal funding to hospitals and doctors could drop by up to $6 billion annually by decade's end. The newly formed New Jersey Free Clinic Association, representing five no-cost providers that don't accept insurance or federal funding, is working with the state health department to build referral networks and a toolkit for new clinics as waiting lists grow. State Senate health committee chair Joe Vitale and clinic leaders warn that newly uninsured residents will delay care and increasingly turn to costly emergency departments. The clinics' capacity is limited by county residency and income eligibility rules, and appointment wait times are expected to worsen.