Relates to educational leave for eligible incarcerated individuals

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Noah Burroughs and 2 co-sponsors

Lengthens newborn enrollment window from 60 to 90 days on private, state-regulated health plans; coverage starts at birth if added within 90 days.

REFERRED TO CORRECTION

Main purpose

A-5459 lengthens the automatic enrollment window for newborns under a parent’s private health benefits coverage from 60 days after birth to 90 days. The change is intended to give parents more time to add a newborn as a dependent on a family or individual health plan so coverage continues beyond the initial automatic period.

Key provisions

Amends Section 6 of P.L.1938, c.366 (C.17:48‑6) to replace the current 60‑day notification/payment window with a 90‑day window for both:

family‑type contracts (coverage for spouse and dependent children), and
nonfamily contracts that nonetheless provide newborn coverage when added.

Confirms that coverage for newborns begins at the moment of birth and must include injury/sickness and care for medically diagnosed congenital defects and abnormalities.

If a subscription payment or notification is required, it must be provided within 90 days of birth to continue coverage beyond the automatic period.

Committee amendment changes effective date from “immediately” to 60 days after enactment.

The bill applies to private health insurance policies regulated by the Department of Banking and Insurance; it does not apply to self‑insured employer plans, or most government employee/retiree plans.

Who is affected

Parents and newborns covered by private, state‑regulated health insurance plans in New Jersey.

Private insurers regulated by the Department of Banking and Insurance.

State programs and agencies potentially affected: Department of Human Services (NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid), Department of Health (e.g., Early Intervention), and Department of Banking and Insurance.

Fiscal impact (per Office of Legislative Services)

Potential, indeterminate net decrease in State expenditures and in State revenues.

Some care costs for newborns that otherwise would be paid by NJ FamilyCare may shift to private insurers if parents enroll during the extended 90‑day window.
Reduced State spending on NJ FamilyCare would also reduce federal Medicaid/CHIP reimbursements to the State.

OLS could not quantify the effect due to limited data on how many births would be affected and plan types (approx. 102,000 births/year in NJ; private coverage estimates vary between ~58–61%; NJ FamilyCare 34–39%; uninsured 3–5% across reports).

Legislative status & timeline (selected)

Introduced in Assembly: 3/10/2025; referred to Assembly Health Committee.

Reported out of Assembly Health Committee: 3/20/2025.

Passed Assembly: 3/24/2025 (78–0–0).

Received in Senate and referred to Senate Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens Committee: 5/12/2025.

Reported with committee amendments (effective date change) by Senate committee: 11/13/2025; referred to Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee.

Sponsors and related measures

Primary sponsor: Assemblyman Erik Dilan. Cosponsors: Dana Levenberg, Noah Burroughs.

Related/companion bills: S-319 (companion), S-7444 (prior session), S-302 (prior session).

This summary highlights the substantive change (60 → 90 days), populations and programs likely affected, and the OLS’s fiscal conclusion that impacts are possible but indeterminate.

Bill