Court Approves New Jersey Axing Medicaid Benefits for Legal Immigrants

The state Supreme Court ruled Monday that New Jersey did not break the law when it eliminated state-funded Medicaid benefits for legal immigrants who have been in the country for fewer than five years.

 

In a 4-2 decision, the state's highest court agreed with a state appellate court that New Jersey did not violate the U.S. or state constitutions when it altered residency requirements to NJ Family Care — a state-funded program that provides subsidized Medicaid benefits to low-income residents — amid a budget crisis in 2010.

 

The state's move ended coverage for thousands of legal immigrants and blocked applications for thousands more.

 

Jennifer B. Condon, the attorney representing the group of immigrants that filed a class-action lawsuit against the state, call the ruling "tragic."