Looking for new health care coverage for the new year?  Perhaps you’ve never had health insurance before. Or you had a health insurance policy in 2013, but your insurance company did not renew the plan for 2014.  Or maybe you are unhappy with your current coverage and are looking for a health plan that better fits your health care needs.

The health care reform law created new online Marketplaces for you to compare and purchase quality health insurance policies at competitive rates. For your coverage to be effective on January 1^st on a plan offered through the new online Marketplace, you must enroll in a health care plan by Monday, December 23^rd. 

While you must apply and select a plan by December 23^rd for coverage that begins on January 1, 2014, you can still select a plan on HealthCare.gov until March 31, 2014, with the expectation that coverage will begin about a month after you purchase your coverage.  Beginning in 2014, the health care reform law requires nearly every American to have health care coverage, with a few exceptions.

I encourage you to visit HealthCare.gov to compare plans and shop for health coverage on the new online Marketplace.  By filling out an application for coverage on HealthCare.gov, you can learn if you are eligible for Medicaid or cost-sharing assistance to help you and your family cover the cost of your monthly premiums. Thousands of New Jerseyans have already successfully applied for and selected coverage on the new online Marketplace, including me. 

Click here to connect with an application counselor you can meet with in person to help walk you through the process, or call the healthcare hotline number at 1-800-318-2596.   If you are business owner, you may be interested to learn about additional important provisions andresources regarding providing health care coverage for your employees. For more information on health care reform, please visit my website  and other resources such as the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation and Commonweath Fund.

The Air We Breathe

All Americans have a shared stake in the air we breathe.  Toxic emissions in one state are inevitably carried on the wind across state boundaries:  New Jersey's air, for instance, bears emissions from the coal-burning Homer City Generating Station in western Pennsylvania.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule -- a plan to restrict cross-state emissions which they estimate would save up to 34,000 lives and prevent 15,000 non-fatal heart attacks every year.  But the Homer City Generating Station has struck back in court, challenging the EPA’s authority to enforce the rule.

Under the Clean Air Act, states are given primary responsibility to regulate emissions, but when states fail to meet air quality standards, including when upwind states fail to limit air pollution affecting downwind states, the EPA has the authority to intervene. In this case the EPA is seeking to regulate air pollution across multiple states, but this is legally complicated because it is difficult to determine upwind states’ relative contributions to air quality in downwind states.

Last week the case made its way to the Supreme Court, and a decision is expected soon.  You can track the progress of this case online at here and find a recap of arguments here.  

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

P.S. Just a reminder: I always want to hear from you, but to ensure a prompt response, please don’t reply to this e-mail. Instead, please visit holt.house.gov/contact or call 1-87-RUSH-HOLT(1-877-874-4658).