New Jersey Passes Budget, Putting State Beaches Back in Business

The stalemate is finally broken. After hours of negotiations, lawmakers in Trenton have passed a $34.7 billion budget, meaning that non-essential state services that have been closed since Saturday—from beaches to parks to the courts—are reopening.

The impasse grew out of a disagreement over a law that would overhaul the state's largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield. Gov. Chris Christie wanted it. Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto didn't. Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran categorized the whole thing as a dispute about "nothing." And New Jerseyans wanted to get to the beach already.

Katie Jennings, who covers health care policy for Politico New Jersey, spoke with WNYC about how this budget deal will affect both Horizon and the state's population as a whole.