New Jersey Gift Ban in Jeopardy?

During his last few days as Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie’s administration enacted an aggressive law in an attempt to combat the opioid epidemic. The regulation was finalized in December 2017 and required that beginning January 15, 2018, any contracts and payments entered into by prescribers directly with the pharmaceutical industry will be subject to a $10,000 annual cap. This cap includes payments from industry for consulting and speaking and includes a $15 per meal cap, but exempts research and education-related payments. Current New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is now trying to modify that rule, according to a source who spoke with ROI-NJ recently. The source, familiar with the thinking behind a potential modification but not permitted to speak publicly on the discussion, said the Administration is considering increasing the limit or even rolling back the rule altogether. The source made sure to note that this consideration should not be viewed as Governor Murphy having less concern about any problems surrounding potential opioid use and abuse as much as the concerns for the unintended consequences of the Christie rule. Evidently, the rule is having a detrimental effect on the hospitality industry – specifically the restaurant industry. Marilou Halvorsen, CEO and president of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association (NJRHA), said restaurants are already estimating losses of at least $4.5 million this year. According to Halvorsen a surve...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs