New Jersey hospitals will be getting their June charity care and Graduate Medical Education (GME) payments shortly, Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal announced today.
The State Treasurer authorized the release of charity care and GME payments, which enables the hospitals to receive the delayed June payments, which they were expecting in mid-June.
“We are pleased to announce these payments will be in hospitals’ hands very shortly,” said Commissioner Elnahal.
“New Jersey’s hospitals provide essential care to our state’s uninsured or underinsured residents regardless of their ability to pay and the Murphy Administration values their role is caring for this vulnerable population,” the Commissioner said. “We also recognize that our hospitals depend on GME to pay the physicians they are training for the future to strengthen our healthcare workforce.”
On June 12, Commissioner Elnahal notified hospitals that the June charity care and GME payments normally scheduled for distribution in mid-June would have to be delayed because the state had insufficient reserves to make those payments.
“We have been in close contact with the New Jersey Hospital Association and its members during this process,” Elhanal said.
The budget for fiscal year 2019, which began July 1, includes $262 million for charity care, which is distributed to all 70 acute care hospitals and one specialty hospital in the state and is used to support hospitals’ delivery of free or reduced cost hospital care for low-income, uninsured patients.
GME, which is funded at $218 million and is distributed to 43 acute care hospitals in the state, supports the growth of hospital-based physician teaching programs.
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