We conclude our statutory update with seven bills that were introduced and passed by the New Jersey Senate and Assembly in 2025 but were not approved until early January 2026.
NJ Interstate Physician Assistant Licensure Compact
On January 9, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill A4328, published as P.L.2025, c.198 (N.J.S.A. §§ 45:9-27.29 et seq.), which enters New Jersey in the Interstate Physician Assistant Licensure Compact (PA Compact). The Bill states that the PA Compact is intended to “strengthen access to Medical Services, and in recognition of the advances in the delivery of Medical Services.” It was also created to “develop a comprehensive process that complements the existing authority of State Licensing Boards to license and discipline PAs and seeks to enhance the portability of a License to practice as a PA while safeguarding the safety of patients.” New Jersey joins the 23 states that were already members of the PA Compact.
The Bill took effect on January 9, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
Ensuring Fairness in Cost-Sharing Amounts Act of 2025
On January 9, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill A5217, amending and supplementing P.L.1997, c.192 and P.L.2015, c.179 (N.J.S.A. §§ 26:2S-1 et seq. and §§ 17B:27F-1 et seq.) and establishing the Ensuring Fairness in Cost-Sharing Amounts Act of 2025, which requires third-party discounts and payments for individuals covered by health benefits plans to apply to copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs for covered benefits. The Bill sets requirements for carriers and third-party administrators as well as pharmacy benefits managers (PBM), applying the annual limitation on cost-sharing amounts provided in Section 1302 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, P.L.111-148 (42 U.S.C. s.18022) to all healthcare services covered under any health benefits plans offered or issued by such carriers in New Jersey. This includes high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts. By March 31 of each year, each PBM/carrier authorized to conduct business in New Jersey must certify to the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance that it fully and completely complied with the requirements of the Bill throughout the prior calendar year.
The Bill took effect on April 9, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act
On January 9, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill A5278, published as P.L.2025, c.200, amending and supplementing various parts of the statutory law (N.J.S.A. Titles 17B, 26, 52, and 30) and establishing the New Jersey Menopause Coverage Act, which requires health insurance coverage of medically necessary perimenopause and menopause treatments. The Bill applies to various plans and providers, including hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health service corporations, individual policies, group health policies, enrollee agreements, individual health benefits plans, small-employer health benefits plans, benefits under contracts purchased by the State Health Benefits Commission, and benefits under contracts purchased by the School Employee’s Health Benefits Commission. Each plan must provide benefits to any person covered thereunder for expenses incurred in obtaining medically necessary treatment for women with a diagnosis of perimenopause or menopause and symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause, including those set forth in the statute.
The Bill took effect on April 9, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
Improved NJ FamilyCare Provider Enrollment Process
On January 12, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill A2804, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes (N.J.S.A. §§ 30:4D-4.1), which directs the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS), in coordination with the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME), to establish a streamlined process for reviewing NJ FamilyCare provider applications within one year of the law’s enactment.
The Bill requires the BME to make available to DMAHS the physician licensure information within five days of issuing a license number or denying licensure. Upon receipt of an application that includes the required licensure information, DMAHS must promptly begin processing the application and must notify the applicant within 15 days if any additional documentation is needed.
The Bill also makes clear that these provisions do not alter existing licensure or enrollment requirements. For purposes of the Bill, NJ FamilyCare includes both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Bill took effect on January 12, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
Minimum Base NJ FamilyCare Per Diem Reimbursement Rate
On January 12, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill S2493, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes (N.J.S.A. §§ 30:4D-7aaa, 30:4D-7bbb), which sets a minimum base NJ FamilyCare per diem reimbursement rate of $1,100 for special care nursing facilities that operate units serving neurologically impaired young adults.
The Bill applies to reimbursements beginning January 1, 2024, and establishes that the reimbursement rate is available to facilities that were issued a certificate of need by the Department of Health as of July 1, 2023, to operate a neurologically impaired young adult unit, provided the facility remains in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Bill further directs the Commissioner of Human Services to promulgate any necessary regulations and to seek any required federal waivers or state plan amendments to implement its provisions.
The Bill took effect on January 12, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
Public School Property Leases to FQHCs Without Public Bidding
On January 12, 2026, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill S3156, amending P.L.1978, c.91 (codified at N.J.S.A. § 18A:20-8.2), which amends current law to allow boards of education to lease school property that is not needed for school purposes to federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) without requiring a public bidding process.
Under the Bill, such leases may be executed through private agreement, including for a nominal fee, and are exempt from the usual requirement to publicly advertise for bids. The Bill also provides that where a school building is jointly occupied by a public school and an FQHC, the health center’s space must be physically separate from areas occupied by students to the extent permitted by federal law.
The Bill took effect on January 12, 2026. The full text of the Bill can be found here.
Lead Screening of Pregnant Persons
On January 7, 2025, the New Jersey Legislature approved Bill A4848, supplementing P.L.1995, c.328 (N.J.S.A. §§ 26:2-137.2 et seq.), which requires healthcare professionals to perform lead screening of pregnant persons under certain circumstances. The Bill requires licensed physicians, licensed physician assistants, certified advanced practice nurses, certified nurse midwifes, certified professional midwifes, and certified midwifes who provide prenatal maternity care to a pregnant person to assess the person for possible risk factors for lead exposure and elevated blood lead levels based on the most recent guidelines and recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Any laboratory that performs a lead screening test under the Bill must, within five business days of obtaining the test results, report the results to the Department of Health, the local health department in the municipality in which the pregnant person who is the subject of the test resides, and the healthcare professional who submitted the specimen.
The Bill took effect on April 1, 2025. The full text of the Bill can be found here.