These data come from the Health Reform Monitoring Survey in New Jersey (HRMS-NJ), a New Jersey supplement of a nationally representative survey conducted by the Urban Institute. A quarterly survey of the nonelderly, it is designed to provide timely information on implementation issues under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and changes in health insurance coverage and related health outcomes.  

The second quarter 2014 survey was completed in June.

These findings are consistent with national trends that have shown an increase in the coverage rate among nonelderly adults, which have been reported widely elsewhere. This upward trend has been confirmed by the recent release of a preliminary 2014 estimate from the National Health Insurance Survey.

Source of coverage

Due to the size of the quarterly samples for New Jersey, it is not possible to analyze the trend in coverage by source using the Health Reform Monitoring Survey. However, seven percent of respondents in the June 2014 New Jersey survey reported that they obtained coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, or healthcare.gov. Nearly two-thirds of non-elderly adults reported having employer-sponsored insurance, approximately 11 percent reported Medicaid or other public coverage, and approximately 14 percent reported non-group or other coverage.

Enrollment in New Jersey

These survey reports are broadly consistent with enrollment data reported by the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) for the period of October 2013 through April 2014, which found that approximately 162,000 New Jersey residents enrolled in marketplace plans. While it is not known how many of these enrollees were previously uninsured, the non-group market in New Jersey is reported to have grown by approximately 50,000 between the fourth quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. While official estimates for the second quarter have yet to be released, it is anticipated that enrollment will again increase considerably. The number of new Medicaid enrollees is estimated to be approximately 250,000. However, this number does not take into account the considerable backlog of applications facing many New Jersey counties, as well as the fact that the New Jersey Medicaid expansion began in 2013.

Disclaimer:  The Health Reform Monitoring Survey (HRMS), a quarterly survey designed to support timely monitoring of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the nation and select groups of states, was developed by the Urban Institute, fielded by GfK, and jointly funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Urban Institute. The Urban Institute has allowed other organizations to fund supplemental surveys with state-specific oversamples based on the HRMS, including the oversample for New Jersey that is used in this work. The analyses and conclusions based on HRMS-New Jersey are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Urban Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or the Ford Foundation.