NJ will run its own ObamaCare marketplace to guard against Trump actions

New Jersey’s Democratic governor announced Friday that the state will start running its own ObamaCare marketplace in 2021, rather than letting the federal government operate it.

Gov. Phil Murphy characterized the move as a way for New Jersey to take more control of how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) operates in the state.

{mosads}“Together with the Legislature, we have the ability to further protect New Jersey from actions taken by the Trump Administration to roll back the hard-fought protections afforded by the ACA and I would argue we have an obligation to do so,” Murphy said in a statement.

New Jersey’s move would make it the 12th state to run its own ObamaCare marketplace. Most states rely on the federal government to oversee the program.

By taking control of the marketplace itself, New Jersey could make changes like extending the length of the enrollment period, which was cut roughly in half by the Trump administration.

New Jersey has already taken several steps to fight back against what Democrats call President Trump’s sabotage of the 2010 health law. For example, it reinstated a coverage mandate after congressional Republicans repealed the federal mandate in 2017.