Last night as his first order of business the new president signed an executive order to repeal the ACA. Here's what this means... even if you are safely covered behind employer-provided insurance, the protections set forth in the ACA (Affordable Care Act), apply to you too. And if those protections are repealed along with the rest (or any part) of the program, you will also be affected.

That means you may be trapped in a job, because your pre-existing condition may mean you will not qualify for new insurance offered by another employer, and the cost of private insurance would be prohibitive. If your employer shuts down, lays you off, or even changes insurers, well, you are out of luck. The Senate GOP voted this week that they would not require an eventual ACA replacement to protect against discrimination for pre-existing conditions, which was the standard before the ACA.

It means that you (a young adult under the age of 26) or your adult children (over 18) may find yourselves without the protection of insurance, as the Senate GOP voted last night that an eventual ACA replacement will not be required to allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance up to the age of 26.

It means that if you have a high-risk pregnancy, or life-threatening illness such as cancer, you may not be able to afford all the care you need, because you may hit lifetime or annual caps. If you have an infant born with any kind of severe medical condition, or premature, they may hit their lifetime insurance cap before they are old enough to walk. The Senate GOP voted last night that an eventual ACA replacement program would not be required to prohibit lifetime insurance caps.

It means that if you are a struggling parent who is uninsured or under-insured, you will no longer be able to count on at least your kids getting the routine medical and dental care they need under the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). The Senate GOP voted that CHIP is not required to be protected by an eventual ACA replacement.

These provisions of the ACA affect everyone in this country, not just those without insurance through their employers.

If you are not okay with these changes, call your representatives and let them know what's important to you. Nothing has been set in stone yet, but our legislators have shown us a map of what they plan to do if constituents don't make their voices heard loud and clear.

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State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio joined fellow lawmakers, physicians and New Jersey Right to Life representatives during a Statehouse press conference to urge passage of a bill that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks.

8-Year-Old Boy Rejected from Secaucus Pack Due to Gender Identity

Assemblywoman Mila Jasey issued the following statement Thursday to commend Maplewood Cub Scout Pack 20, which is petitioning the Boy Scouts of America in hopes of allowing 8-year-old Joe Maldonado to join the troop. Maldonado, a transgender boy, recently was told he no longer could participate in a Secaucus troop because he was born a girl:

http://www.newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/opinion/editorial/editorial-a-victory-for-open-government-in-trenton/article_89f89e99-5aa6-503a-86fe-6eedacb7e012.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

(TRENTON) – By a vote of 56-18-3, the full Assembly approved a measure sponsored by Assembly Democrats John McKeon, Daniel Benson, Tim Eustace, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Annette Quijano and Mila Jasey that would ask voters in New Jersey to amend the state constitution so that money collected from environmental contamination lawsuits is used for restoration efforts and other environmental protection measures.

With Senator Cory Booker and Tammy Nunnery Haynie

Mazzeo, Zwicker, Jasey, Vainieri Huttle, Schaer, Jones, Eustace, Land, Gusciora, Andrzejczak, Downey, Houghtaling & Mukherji Bill Will Eliminate Student Loan Debt in the Event of Death or Permanent Disability

(TRENTON) – Assembly-approved legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Gary S. Schaer, Mila Jasey, Gordon Johnson, Andrew Zwicker, Thomas Giblin and Joann Downey to create a commission comprised of higher education and business professionals to study and strategize on best ways to foster innovation, job growth and economic development in the state was advanced Monday by a Senate panel.