Atlanta, GA – Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin released the following statement today reacting to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s stepped-up attacks this week on Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey in his attempt to try and raid the company’s reserve funds to pay for his opiate reform program.

“Governor Chris Christie’s stepped-up attack on private health insurer Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, to try and raid their reserve funds to pay for his opiate reform program borders on extortion. With the announcement this week that he will take over a national program to combat drug and opiate abuse, Governor Christie must not be allowed to use his new position and expanded government power to try to extort money from private companies to pay for government programs. Given the current instability Obamacare has caused in the health insurance market, the last thing we need is the Governor stealing money from the pockets of healthcare policy holders. This financially reckless, self-serving behavior must be stopped before it causes more consumer and economic harm.”

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