1-minute read
Health care is always on the minds of New Jersey residents.
In 2025, you can expect to see certain health care trends continue ― the increased use of A.I., expanding hospital systems and more medical debt erased.
However, there are unknowns as well as a new administration takes over the White House.
Here are things to expect in New Jersey next year related to your health care.
- More New Jerseyans’ medical debt will likely be wiped away in 2025. The state spent about $1.4 million in federal stimulus funds to forgive millions of dollars in outstanding hospital bills from Atlantic Health System and Prime Health Care for more than 120,000 New Jerseyans. There is still more than $8 million left from $10 million set aside for the program.
- Hospitals will keep expanding their footprints. In 2024, The Valley Hospital moved into its new Paramus campus, and there were dozens of other plans unveiled across the state to increase services. The biggest of these is being run by Hackensack Meridian Health — the state’s largest hospital system — which has launched a $1 billion campaign for capital improvements and expansion.
- How big will the federal cuts be to New Jersey’s $22 billion Medicaid program? What about subsidies to Get Covered NJ insurance plans that are part of the Affordable Care Act? The incoming Trump administration has made no bones about cutting government health care services. More than 2 million New Jerseyans are enrolled in Medicaid, and more than 400,000 are expected to sign up for discounted health plans under Get Covered NJ.
- Staffing levels at hospitals and medical facilities, which plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to increase next year as health care workers’ unions have made it the No. 1 issue in their contract negotiations. Nursing school administrators report that classrooms are filled to capacity with the next generation of health care workers because demand is so high, allowing for better salary and benefits.
- Artificial intelligence will continue to be integrated into diagnostics, treatment and operations at hospitals across New Jersey. In 2024 there were A.I. advances, from cancer screenings to imaging technology to language interpretation, at some of the biggest hospital networks in the state, along with smaller regional hospitals. Will it be transformative, as tech companies are betting — or just another tool used by providers?
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