Murphy seeks to boost women’s health care in his $58.1B budget

Governor Phil Murphy made it a point to reinforce protecting women’s reproductive rights, including incentivizing obstetricians and gynecologists to practice in New Jersey, as part of his $58.1 billion spending plan.

The budget recommendations for the fiscal year that starts July 1 show funding for reproductive health has more than tripled under Murphy’s leadership since 2019. Since 2018, the state has spent $268 million on family planning services and other reproductive health programs. The governor promised to fully fund women’s health care at $52 million for the 2026 budget. 

This includes a new program to attract OB-GYNs and other health workers to New Jersey from other states, particularly those where abortion has been banned as a result of the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

“I will certainly never back down from defending women — and protecting their access to reproductive health care, and especially, their right to an abortion,” Murphy said during his budget address. 

As of May 2023, New Jersey has 670 employed obstetricians and gynecologists, a relatively high number among states, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2030, though, 5,000 fewer such doctors are expected to be practicing nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

“Thank you to Gov. Murphy for your commitment to reproductive health and funding family planning services in your final budget address,” said the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of NJ on Instagram. 

Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz, a Republican from Summit, said the initiative sounds great but questioned whether it would happen. 

“I commend them for attempting it, but I like to see how they make it happen based on two things: the salaries and also the medical malpractice,” Muñoz said. 

New Jersey OB-GYNs are required to pay for an annual insurance premium that averages $90,749 but can go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a 2022 American Medical Association analysis. Muñoz, a career registered nurse, also said residencies are not paid enough to attract more specialists to the industry. 

For young families, the budget proposal continues programs supported by First Lady Tammy Murphy. The budget supports the work of Nurture NJ, a maternal and infant health initiative, and $35.8 million for Family Connects NJ, which has provided more than 2,500 in-home nurse visits to families with newborns. 

“My priority is ensuring that every woman can access the best possible health care when they need it. Period,” Murphy said during the budget address to a joint legislative session in Trenton.

In his January State of the State annual policy address, Murphy said he wants New Jersey to continue at the forefront of women’s health and reproductive rights initiatives. With access to safe abortion services declining nationwide, the governor put forward a plan to collect and reserve Mifepristone. That drug, combined with misoprostol, is used to end a pregnancy up to 70 days.