Bill > A4601

Introduced Session

This bill requires health insurance carriers (including health service corporations, hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, commercial individual and group health insurers, and health maintenance organizations), entities contracted to administer health benefits in connection with the State Health Benefits Program and School Employees' Health Benefits Program, and the NJ FamilyCares/Medicaid program to provide coverage for the termination of pregnancies. Under the bill, "pregnancy" is defined as the period of the human reproductive process beginning with the implantation of a fertilized egg. The bill provides that, upon request of a religious employer, health insurers are required to grant an exclusion if the coverage conflicts with the religious employer's bona fide religious beliefs and practices. "Religious employer" is defined in the bill to mean an organization that is referred to in section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i) or (iii) of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. s.6033), and that is organized and operates as a nonprofit entity. Additionally, the bill provides that any State program that provides benefits for pregnancy-related care will also provide benefits for the termination of a pregnancy. Lastly, under the bill, medical malpractice insurers are barred from taking any adverse action, including loss of coverage, sanctions, fines, penalties, or rate increases, against an insured for providing or facilitating reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services based solely on the fact that the patient receiving the service is a resident of a state where providing or facilitating the activity is illegal.

Committee Categories

Garnet Hall (D)*,  Luanne Peterpaul (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  John Allen (D),  Alixon Collazos-Gill (D),  Margie Donlon (D),  Mitchelle Drulis (D),  Shama Haider (D),  Ellen Park (D),  Jessica Ramirez (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee (on 06/17/2024)

Official Document