According to sources Democrat leaders in the Senate and the Assembly agreed on a budget proposal Wednesday that restores Medicaid cuts, provides property tax relief for senior citizens and money for cash-strapped police departments. Democrats will seek to restore millions of dollars for
Medicaid that were cut from the governor’s $29.6 billion budget, allowing tens of thousands of working parents to obtain affordable health care coverage. Christie wants to save $300 million by restructuring Medicaid to help compensate for a loss of about $1 billion in federal stimulus money. About $9 million of Christie’s savings come from sharply reducing eligibility for NJ FamilyCare. The governor’s savings would disqualify parents in a family of three earning more than $5,000 a year on the grounds that they earn too much, according to a document summarizing the proposal. Currently the income cut-off is $24,600 for a family of three. The Christie administration has said children would not be affected by the cutbacks. http://bit.ly/lM1psi
