Governor Murphy’s SFY 2025 detailed budget recommendations for the Department of Health (DOH) total $1.33 billion, which is a decrease of $90 million or 6.3% from the 2024 allocation of $1.42 billion. For more on the Governor’s overall budget proposal, please see our SFY 2025 Budget writeup.
The?Budget and Language recommendations?remain?unchanged from the previous year, highlighting direct state services for SFY2025 for management of financial resources to support health services pending the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting.
Below is a review of DOH’s budget and its impact on local governments.
EMS: Emergency Medical Services are set to receive a level allocation of $546,000 and the Emergency Medical Services Training Fund is allocated $150,000. The Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) certifies over 26,000 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and 1,700 Mobile Intensive Care Paramedics (MICPs). Additionally, it licenses more than 4,500 vehicles, including mobility assistance vehicles, ambulances, mobile intensive care units, specialty care transport units, and air medical units.
Health Care Financing: The Office of Health Care Financing (OHCF) is set to receive a recommended allocation of $683.7 million for SFY2025. OHCF manages a range of programs including Charity Care, Graduate Medical Education (GME), Graduate Medical Education Supplemental (GME-S), Graduate Medical Education Trauma Center (GME-T), and the Quality Improvement Program New Jersey (QIP-NJ). The proposed funding allocations for SFY2025 are as follows: Charity Care $137.2 million, GME $218 million, GME-S $34 million, GME-T $84.5 million, and QIP-NJ $210 million.
Health Services: The SFY2025 budget supports several health initiatives, allocating $118.4 million to the Early Childhood Intervention program for children under three with developmental disabilities, maintaining existing eligibility and co-payment standards. The budget proposes $204,000 for the Maternal Mortality Review Committee to improve birthing outcomes by analyzing pregnancy-associated deaths across New Jersey. The budget also allocates $40 million for essential women's health services statewide.
Integrated Health Services: The New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection (NJCEED) program is allocated approximately $13.9 million. The budget also includes $32 million for the 117 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) for uninsured patient visits and the Ann Klein Forensic Center in Mercer County to offer treatment for mental health services. The Office of Long-Term Care Resiliency is set to receive $550,000 to assist with nursing consultant programs.
Department Objective: The Department of Health priorities include improving overall health with an emphasis on prevention, wellness, and health equity, eliminating healthcare disparities among different demographic groups, and enhancing public health engagement through cultural competency and partnerships with minority-oriented health organizations. It also focuses on preventing and controlling diseases, improving maternal and child health, expanding access to treatments for communicable diseases like hepatitis, HIV, and STDs, and providing comprehensive care in state-operated psychiatric facilities to support community integration. DOH works to mitigate the overdose epidemic, strengthen local public health infrastructure, partner with community-based organizations for preventive health, and implement evidence-based programs to decrease morbidity from major health conditions. It also prepares emergency responders and medical providers for health emergencies, maintains a robust system of trained emergency medical technicians, and oversees a fleet of licensed emergency vehicles to ensure readiness for nearly 1.4 million emergency incidents annually. Top of Form
These figures are based on the Governor’s proposal and may change based on public testimony, changes by the Legislature, and discussions with the Administration before its enactment by the end of June. The League will provide further updates as the budget process continues.