After years of planning, ground was broken this summer on a long-awaited replacement for the Shore Regional Medical Center in Easton. Photo by Danielle J. Brown
After years of delays and debate, 2024 was the year when several health initiatives started to move forward. And advocates now worry that 2025 could be the year when those gains move in the other direction.
Voters enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, lawmakers expanded health care access to undocumented immigrants and a long-stalled effort to rein in prescription drug costs for state employees finally got off the ground, among other changes.
But with a projected $2.7 billion state budget deficit, and the uncertainty of a second Trump administration, advocates concede they are “unsure what the future holds.”
The year began with legislative passage of the Access to Care Act, a bill that will let undocumented immigrants buy private health care policies on the state’s insurance marketplace, starting in 2026. It was a major win for health car and immigrant advocates, who saw the measure pass the House but stall in the Senate the year before.