In Englewood Hospital & Medical Center v. State of New Jersey decided in July 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court acknowledged the decades-old legislative declaration that it is of paramount public interest for the State to take all necessary and appropriate actions to ensure access to and the provision of high-quality and cost-effective hospital care to its citizens. Previously, in its 1982 decision in Right to Choose v. Byrne, while the Supreme Court did not sustain the lower court’s determination that the New Jersey Constitution guarantees a fundamental right to health, it nonetheless “recognize[d] that New Jersey accords a high priority to the preservation of health.”
Improving access to healthcare and keeping people healthy has since been made arguably more difficult with the passage of Federal H.R. 1, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). In information presented to the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee in May 2026, the New Jersey Department of Human Services described the anticipated devastating impact on Medicaid (NJ FamilyCare) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), along with new barriers to accessing healthcare and food assistance that were projected from the cuts to federal assistance.
As a result of the OBBBA changes, more than 300,000 NJ FamilyCare participants are expected to lose coverage. In addition, healthcare providers can expect funding reductions to federal matching funds and supplemental payments through managed care plans, with annual losses projected to grow to approximately $2.6 billion. The SNAP program will likely also be undermined by the expected reduction in participation of as many as 47,000 people a month. The economic value of the reductions ranges from $240 million in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026 to $425 million in SFY 2030.
In response, the American Public Health Association (APHA), along with a nonpartisan coalition of national and community-based groups, is organizing a national week of action called Seven Days in June: HEALTH is Primary. In announcing the effort, set for June 1-7, 2026, the APHA stated:
Medical research, affordable access to healthcare, vaccines, and treatment, and strong public health systems are fundamental to quality of life, economic stability, workforce strength and national security. Budget cuts to Medicaid, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are threats to the health of all Americans. The cuts passed by Congress last year will not go into effect until after this fall’s election, when they will also cause harm [to] local economies and the loss of more than one million jobs and billions in tax revenue.
A nationwide candlelight vigil to honor those who have died because of healthcare gaps is planned for June 5.
It is a truism that when people can get care early, they are more likely to stay healthy, making families and communities stronger. Conversely, there is known to be a domino effect from governmental action and sweeping cuts. When health systems are underfunded or destabilized, people suffer, families are driven into bankruptcy, communities lose services, and the nation is less prepared for the next inevitable crisis. Moreover, cutting global health infrastructure exacerbates political instability elsewhere, thereby threatening American security interests.
Consistent with the New Jersey Supreme Court’s observation in Englewood Hospital, and the stated goal of the Seven Days in June undertaking, there is “a civic expectation that health must be treated as a core governing responsibility, regardless of ideology or party.” The challenge of meeting that goal is at hand.