Tonight on PBS news.

Another major affordability hit is coming for new Jersey families.

Health insurance rates i the individual market are set to jump by an average of nearly 20% next year.

The second straight year o double digit increases tonight.

What is driving that surge?

Who could be forced to drop coverage altogether, and whether any relief could still come from Washington?

Also, new details tonight about that massive data center diesel spill in Secaucus.

The leak may have gone undetected for six hours, and the state was not notified until more than seven hours after it all started.

We speak with the congresswoman now demanding answer about exactly what went wrong, the environmental impact, and who will be held accountable.

And a new video series is moving the conversation about transgender Americans beyond politics, laws and controversy, and putting the focu back on the people themselves.

Tonight, we talk with the new Jersey journalist who spent a year documenting their lives, their challenges and their hopes for the future.

NJ PBS news starts now.

This is PBS news with Rob Nelson.

Good evening everybody.

We begin tonight with the price of health insurance, which is about to take another huge bite out of household budgets.

New Jersey says rates in the individual insurance market, including plans sold through Get Covered new Jersey, will rise by an average of nearly 20% next year, and that's before financial assistance is factored in.

It will be the second straigh year of double digit increases, and after tens of thousands of New Jerseyans dropped their coverage this year, there are real concerns that even more people will decide they simply cannot afford it.

NJ Spotlight News, Washington.

Reporter Ben has been digging into what is driving these increases, and whether any relief still could come from DC.

Ben, thanks so much for joining us.

My pleasure.

Let's start with the top line headline here people.

People here 20% premium increase.

That gets everybody's attention.

Walk us through just the headline numbers here a little bit.

It's this is the average overall for five health insurers that the state Department of Banking and Insurance has approved to offer plans under the ACA, commonly known as Obamacare, for 2027.

The open enrollment period starts at the start of November and runs through January.

And as you point out, there could be financial aid here for patients under through either the federal government or the state government.

But also people may be paying more than that 20% figure.

That's that's a that's an average.

This comes on the heels of, as you pointed out, Rob, another double digit increase in the current year 2026.

Health.

Healthcare is just expensive, plainly.

I mean, yeah, this is thi is the last headline in a year where portability is the theme going into the midterms.

This is an awful headline, but real quick, the numbers.

The headline is stunning, but I want to I want to connect the dots between the politics and this moment that we're in, because this announcement came out Thursday or Friday of last wee and got everybody's attention.

But not surprising here, because this dates back to the whole reason we saw tha long, long government shutdown a few months ago.

Connect those dots.

For us.

This was actuall this has been going on so long.

The shutdown happened last year.

This was a figh that unfurling on Capitol Hill in the fall of 2025, because Democrats used their leverage in the Senate, in particular through the filibuster, to block any legislatio to fund the government without new support for federal tax incentives for the ACA.

And they came up short on that.

Ultimately, some breakaway Democrats in the Senate cut a deal with the white Hous to keep the government funded.

But this has been a fight that has been percolating for for longer than a year.

And also, this is interesting sort of coming off of a public health pandemic.

To note that overall health insurance under the ACA is ticking downward nationally.

3 million peopl have lost coverage under the ACA this year, about 70,000 of those in new Jersey.

So the current status is for years and years the ACA was expanding.

That is no longer the case.

And talk about those 70,000 New Jerseyans.

My understanding i that there was obviously other and other increases and 70,000 folks, many of whom said, I can't afford this anymore.

And what happens is insurance is when those folks leave the pool that's left behind.

It gets more expensive for those folks remaining in the pool after so many folks leave.

Why did those 70,000 New Jerseyans leave the plan?

And could we see even more say, look, I can't afford this coverage after the increases that we're going to see next year?

We could see tha and that that group left because basically they perceived it in their economic interest.

They said, this is too expensive.

I'm healthy enough.

Maybe I can find coverage in another place.

That's certainly possible.

Maybe they got a job and we're covered through their new employer, maybe a spouse.

Their health insurance options changed and they got covered in, again, a different way.

But basically this was people saying no thank you to expensive.

And then the overall pool of people, the coverage, the pool shrinks and it gets more expensive.

And then you enter, in theory, potentially what health care economists warn as a death spiral where people are leaving the pool because prices are increasing and the underlying pool is getting less healthy.

And then there in turn, again, prices go up.

So it's this really pernicious spiral.

And again this was all expected and predicted because it was this as you just mentioned in back in 2025.

But now here we are.

Open enrollment starts November the 1st.

And now people are seeing these crazy bills come in weeks before the midterms.

At a time when a lot of folks blam this white House for not getting the affordability crisis under control.

How does this play out politically, do you think?

And is there any chance of relief from D.C.

in the next few weeks, or i it is what it is at this point?

It is what it is.

Ther is this the prospect of Congress doing something sincere this year on this is the likely same likelihood of the New York Jets winning the Super Bowl.

It's it's just not in the cards.

Sorry Jets fans, but, no, they're out campaigning.

Congress is out campaigning.

They've been out campaigning for weeks.

They will return to Washington in mid-November after the election, and then we'll turn right to actually another fight about funding the government.

So potentially, if Democrats have a big night during the midterms on election night and win both chambers, they have said this is a top priority in the new Congress to reinstate tax credits for the ACA.

But of course, that would have to come ove the signature of Donald Trump.

And that's just not going to happen unless he has a massive change of heart.

Ben Hewlett, our NJ PBS spotlight reporter, breaking it all down from there in D.C.. Ben, as always, your reporting.

Thank you so much.

More than a month after more than 5000 gallons of diesel spilled from a caucus data center, some of the most important questions remain unanswered.

A new information released by Congresswoman Nellie Poe shows the spill may have gone undetected for roughly six hours, and that the state was not even notified until more than seven hours after it may have started.

About 4000 gallons have so far been recovered, and the state says it has found no evidence that the fuel actually reached the Hackensack River.

But the investigation and cleanup both continue, with more than 100 new Jersey town now having banned data centers.

I recently spoke with Congresswoman Poe about the spill and her figh for reelection in the midterms.

Here is some now of that conversation.

It seems like the data center issue truly is on top of mind for a lot of people.

A recent polling showing that most New Jerseyans are very much against more of these coming online.

But let's let's start, though, with the spill.

What to you is still the biggest revelation so far.

And who or what really dropped the ball here and what could potentially b the real environmental damage?

Well, first of all, let me just say that this is really something very important to the residents of Secaucus, but it's really something that is not new to what's happening.

And, you know, throughout.

So we're very concerned, rightfully people.

It's certainly my constituents from Secaucus was is right to be very concerned.

It's it's really about making sur that we have full transparency.

What is the most important thing that we still don't know or still don't have a full understanding of?

Yeah.

The the one important thing that we still don't know is whether or not everything, all of the oil has been, in fact, recovered.

The company has acquired has indicated tha they have recovered through DEP.

By the way, a lot of the information was provided to me by the NJ, d p and the fact that we they were able to recover 4000 gallons.

And we, you know, we know that there is still some spillage there.

Although there's some talks or information that some of that was also covered through some of the, the, the cleanup material.

I might have absorbed some of that as well, but we're still asking questions.

We're still looking for answers, and we're still, looking and demanding that there be a full report.

Report.

The most important thing was making sure that it did not get into our waterways, and that those are the kind of environmental concerns that we want to make sure tha it's being carefully monitored.

Well, we don't have much time left.

Let me just switch gears to politics.

You're in a race right now to save your seat.

I have an independent and Republican in that race as well.

What's the number one issue as you travel the district?

And two, do you think this big blue wave that polls seem to be indicating will actually come true, or things bein a little overstated right now?

What's your what's what's your vibe?

Has the kids like to say, well.

Well, first of all, thank you for that question because let me just say the one, the number one thing that is really impacting everyone.

I said it two years ag when I ran as a as a candidate and I was for, for Congress my very first run.

And I say today because we're still experiencing it and that's the cost of living.

Everything is impacted by that.

We need to make sure to reduce that cost.

We need to we know that we're feeling i when we go to the grocery store.

We see that.

We know that we when we put gas in our car, we are feeling that.

That's because much of many of the policies that this administration and sadly, the leadershi in Congress at the current time through the Republican majority, has failed to really pull in and be able to take on the responsibility of their job and act accordingly.

They have allowed to much to go on unchecked and and that has caused nothing but problems.

We need to make sure that come November 3rd, we have the ability to turn our house around, have the ability to take over the majority in the Senate, and bring back some of those very important programs that our communities rely upon, need, and our residents and all Americans today will be better off for that.

We need some check and balance, and we need to keep thi president on check at all times.

And along those lines.

If you look ahead and project to January, when perhaps at the very least, the house goes back to blue and Democrats are in control, and perhaps it's Speaker Jeffries if if the Dems go that way.

What do you how you all walk the line between a Democratic Congress or at least the Democratic House that gets things done and that does that, keeping President Trump in check issue, because a lot of Republicans fear that a lot of folks in general fear that the next two years with control, which means it's just mor investigations, more subpoenas, more dramatic committee meetings, maybe another impeachment.

Number three, this one would be, are we going to get more of that drama?

Are we going to get some legislation and get back to Congress getting things done?

Because last time I checked, approval ratings for Congress aren't much better than Trump's.

Those particular areas that you talked about, whether it was investigations and oversight and, those things will take place.

But every committee has a responsibility of taking a taking place and doing their job.

Every chairperson who is going to be put in that position will be responsible for getting a lot of that information.

I would tell you that it's not just all oversight.

I will tell you that it's not just, you know, talking about impeachment.

We have a lot of issues to deal with.

We have to talk about the impact of health care.

We have to talk about the impact of the of the huge reduction in food insecurity and the Snap program.

We have to talk about what's happening right now in our educational system or housing.

So there are many other issues that we have to tackle.

Congresswoman Nellie Poe, thanks so much for giving us some time and standing invitation to come back as we live the news together for whatever makeover.

Really appreciate the opportunity.

Thank you so very much.

Thank you.

Time now for the roundabout.

Our quick look at headlines from all across the state.

And we begin tonight with an incident in Redbank that is now drawing national attention.

Borough official are urging an independent review after a chase involving Ice agents ended in a crash.

Videos posted to social media show Ice agents arresting at least two people according to Red Bank officials.

The incident began when Ice agents attempted a traffic stop near the train station.

Officials say the car did no stop, and that led to a pursuit that ended several blocks away when it collided with a vehicle driven by an Ice agent.

Both the driver and the agent were hurt.

Red Bank officials sa local police were not involved in the traffic stop or the pursuit.

The borough is now calling on county and state officials to launch an independent review of the incident.

NJ PBS news has reached out to Ice and we are still waiting for a response.

And with just two weeks left before Election Day, thousands of protester took to the streets this weekend to protest the Trump White House.

This latest round of the No Kings rallie also drew crowds across Jersey.

District seven candidate Rebecca Bennet attended a rally in Somerville.

She did not address the crowd, but was seen speaking with supporters and stopping for photos.

That's reporting, according to the new Jersey monitor.

Bennett is challenging Republican incumbent Tom Kean Junior for his seat in Congress.

Also reminder tonight early voting in our state begins this Saturday.

And in case you haven't see the signs on your commute home, here's your reminder that deer mating season is underway after a record number of crashes last year.

Triple A now warning drivers of the increased risk this time of year.

Data from new metrics shows more than 11,000 deer crashes were reported in Jersey last year, with about half taking plac between September and November.

Triple A says Raritan Township in Huntington County reported the most deer related crashes, with more than 160 incidents reported last year alone.

A little more animal news for you tonight.

Brick Townshi officials are ruffling feathers tonight after approving a ban on roosters.

Officials passed the ban last week after repeated complaints from residents about excessive loud crowing early in the morning.

Now, if you live there in bric and got a rooster, don't worry, you won't have to find your bird a new home.

But the ban does stop owners from buying new birds.

Brick is joining other areas like Long Hill Township, which passed a similar ordinance just this year, and that will do it for this Monday edition of The Roundabout.

When transgender American make the news, the conversation often centers on politics, laws, and controversy.

And what can get lost in all o that are the people themselves, who they are, how they live, and what they want for their futures.

Well, for the past year, new Jersey monitor visual journalist and Marie Caruso has been listening to transgender New Jerseyans and following their lives.

She joined them at home, at graduations, in church, on stage, at pride events, even in the state House.

The result is a new video series called who I Am Meant to Be.

Its first installment examine the long fight to protect access to transgender health care here in Jersey.

But the series as a whole tells a much larger and much more personal story.

You know, I lived most of my life pretending to be a man when I turned 53.

I got cancer.

When you're facing your own mortality.

It makes you really take some assessments.

And so I went to a therapist who specialized in transgender medicine.

This is how I got diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

During one of the sessions.

I just remembered that when I was 12 years old and I had had a surgery, the surgeon told my mother that I was underdeveloped and that I was too feminine, that I neede to get testosterone injections.

And after that, broad shoulders.

Okay.

I was proud it up.

But I was forced to transition to what I wasn't, which was much, much more masculine.

I believe firmly that God made me transgender.

That God made me a woman.

Right from the get go.

And even though I was raised as a boy, I never was one.

I recently spoke with an Marie Caruso about the people she got to know.

I mean, you spent a yea of your life and you talked to multiple people from all walks of life, from this community.

Where did the idea initially come from?

Why was this something you gave so much time and energy to?

To me, I was seeing sort of a disproportionate amount of legislation and sort of bias and hatred geared towards this community.

And this is a very small community.

I think it's estimated to be about 1%.

So the numbers just weren't adding up to me.

So I wanted to kind of do a deep dive in, like figure out who are these people.

These are our neighbors.

These are in some cases our pastor or, you know, a comedian or these are just people.

These are people.

And I wanted to kind of shine a light on these folks and kind of show like the humanity, as opposed to just the the talking points that are kind of like, you know, these, these people are trying to corrupt your children or, you know, stuff like that.

Behind every stat or political argument, there's always humanity, right?

And we I think we lose that sometimes in the, the tribalism of our, of our of our politics these days.

I'm interested as yo really got into the reporting, and I assume you spent a lot of time with your subjects in the story.

Was there anything that really surprised you?

Did you go into it thinking I may hear this, this or that?

And then you heard.

Oh, wait a minute.

And learned something that you didn't necessarily expect on day one.

I think just the main thing was, was just how attacked a lot of these people feel.

I mean, some people literall just wanted to get health care and access health care.

That's that's all they cared about.

It's just, can I get my medicine?

Can I continue my treatment?

And I think that was something that.

Look, I'm a cis white lady.

This is not something I have to think about.

Like, oh, is my healthcare going to get cut off?

Am I not going to be able t access health care that I need because of strange legislation in other, other states?

So I think, you know, in this first one, we really kind of focus in on the health care bil in new Jersey that was passed.

But a lot of people were really pushing for that because they were worried that I don't want my health care to go away.

And I think that that's sort of a basic human right.

And I can't imagine what it has, what you must feel like if you're just wondering, like, oh, can I go to the doctor?

So there was real fear.

There was real anxiety.

I mean, health care i is hugely important and hugely expensiv and complicated in this country for all communities let alone the trans community.

So I understand that you talked to about how you kind of came into these people's lives at the start of 2026, where they were feeling attacked because of the health care issue, particularly here in in new Jersey.

Talk a little bit about that.

What do they how do they feel Trenton failed them.

Okay.

So there was a bill that had been proposed.

I think it was ove two years ago that was kind of just stalled in the legislature that wasn't moving.

And what it was basically was to codify gender affirming care in new Jersey and make it so that people could access the care here, and that the hospitals and the doctors would not be sued for providing that care if, say, they came from another state.

So this bil was kind of like stalling out.

And that's where all these rallies came into play.

You see a couple of them in the in the series, people wanted this law passed so that they know that their rights would be covered here in new Jersey.

And if people from other states decide to come to new Jersey for gender affirming care, that that they wouldn't have to worry about any being sued or anythin of that nature after the fact.

And do they feel do they feel less, less welcome, or less taken care of in Jersey than they once did?

Did did a sense?

Well, Jersey's a blue stat or a progressive state did that.

I was that kind of a myth that became untrue for them?

That's that's correct.

Yeah.

Even though we are a blue state and I started talking to a lot of these people like last November.

So even before the gubernatorial election.

So a lot of people were watching that race carefully because they were wondering, like do I have to move out of state?

Because that was a real concern for people.

If somebody gets in, are they going to cut care?

And am I going to feel unsafe in this state?

Which is like another thing that we don't think about.

Is basically everything safety, right?

Is my agenda going to affect where I have to live?

It's not somethin that I have to think about.

So.

And you captured great diversity in this series.

We should point out that you think it's going to be at least eight installments airing every every Monday, every month.

You can check it out.

Tell me a little bit about the people you met along the way.

And because they come from all walks of life.

Yes.

Yeah.

A lot of really interesting folks.

And I got to know them well because they were very patient with me as I'm like, can I come over?

Can I come over?

Can I tag along with you?

The media are never annoying.

Everyone loves this.

Yeah.

Persistent.

The system.

I mean, Melissa actually moved out of state.

I don't think that's my fault, but we'll see.

I was really surprised whe I ran into a pastor at an event who's a transgender woman, and she was called from her congregatio to be their pastor, even though most of them are not LGBTQ or trans them selves.

And I thought that was really interesting.

And she's so she just knows so much about the Bibl and she's just so well versed.

And that was not a person I was expecting to have met.

I have certain assumptions about maybe religion not being the most open minded to transgender people.

So it was really interestin to me, the pastor, Erin Kinahan.

Yeah, at a Jersey city and to I got to spend Easter Sunday at their church.

Know.

Well yeah.

And that's because as a journalist, some of your perceptions were were altered in doing this final question.

And in all these conversations and the totality of of the project, did i leave you more or less hopeful for this community?

I think I feel more hopeful in tha I met so many wonderful people, and so many of them are doing wonderful things to help the community.

So that leaves me with hope that they are all going to be okay.

I just feel like there' so many really wonderful people and their loved ones, like we met a family where not just the parents are accepting, but the grandparents are also really accepting.

And this is like, you know, a young boy in teenage years.

So to see like this love and acceptance from a family is really, really heartwarming.

And then there's also so many organizations that are doing so much to help the community that that that all makes me feel very hopeful.

And it's to help to capture it and to put it out there publicly, which is what you have done.

So so thank you for for that work.

And thank you for being here to to kind of share the give us a little behind the scenes peek at thing and look forward to seeing it.

Thank you very much.

Absolutely.

Installments of who I Am Meant to Be will be released every Monday throughout the fall, and that i going to do it for us tonight.

Thank you so much for joining us here on NJ PBS news.

Have a good night.

Jersey.