Healthcare (Hospitals)

This bill lowers the age at which minors can independently consent to outpatient mental health treatment from 16 to 14 years old. It directly affects minors aged 14 and older seeking temporary outpatient care for mental illness or emotional disorders, excluding medication. The law allows these minors to consent to treatment under licensed professionals (like psychologists or counselors) without parental permission, with confidentiality protections preventing disclosure of treatment without consent. This change applies only to outpatient services, not inpatient care or medication administration.

S 2893 requires landlords to obtain written approval from New Jersey's Department of Health (DOH) before evicting or interfering with hospital operators or their successors. This applies to any "adverse possessory action," such as lease termination or removal from hospital property, directly affecting hospital operators, landlords, and the DOH. The bill mandates DOH approval for such actions based on "just cause," with violations resulting in civil penalties up to $1 million, license suspensions, and potential criminal charges for actions causing hospital closures. It also ensures hospitals can seek financial recovery for revenue losses due to unauthorized actions.

This New Jersey bill (S 494) requires health insurance plans that cover cancer chemotherapy to also cover scalp cooling systems. These systems are devices used to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy treatment. The law applies to all major insurance types (including individual, group, employer-sponsored, and hospital service plans) that already cover chemotherapy, mandating coverage "to the same extent as for any other condition." It directly affects insurers, who must provide this coverage, and cancer patients, who gain access to a therapy that may reduce treatment-related hair loss.