Health care bill called huge cost for New Hampshire

CONCORD – A Republican state senator is proposing legislation to give New Hampshire a right of first refusal to a federal health care reform bill.

Jeb Bradley, of Wolfeboro, also wants to allow small business owners and citizens to buy insurance coverage across state lines.

“We need competition, choice and cost control to improve access to affordable health care not punishing new taxes, huge budget deficits and government control of our health care system,’’ Bradley said at a news conference Monday.

Also, former Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen claimed the bill passed Saturday by the U.S. House would pass $1.3 billion in costs to the state over the next decade. “They have kicked the governors to the curb and this governor needs to do more than simply express a concern; he needs to take action,’’ he said.

Stephen said if the federal bill becomes law it could force the state to adopt a broad-based tax to pay for it. “This will inevitably lead us down the road of an income tax.’’

Bradley, a former congressman, ran unsuccessfully for the 1st Congressional District seat in 2006 and 2008. Stephen unsuccessfully ran twice for Congress and is being encouraged by some GOP leaders to run for governor against John Lynch next year.

Lynch is one of a small group of Democratic governors who has yet to endorse the idea of universal health care and who has raised objections about state costs from new mandates.

Lynch Deputy Chief of Staff Pamela Walsh said the House-passed bill is better than earlier versions in the way it treats states, but the governor continues to monitor the progress.

“We still have concerns about the cost so we’ll keep watching and talking,’’ Walsh said.

Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said the House measure would offer coverage to many of the 143,000 people in the state without health insurance.

“Once again, the Republican Party has proven they will say anything to derail meaningful health insurance reform,’’ Buckley said in a statement. “Throughout this process, they have continually spread misinformation about the proposals in Congress in an effort to obstruct progress on this very important issue.’’ Stephen admitted his estimates on the cost are just that but insisted they were on the low side.

Here are some examples, with the 10-year cost estimate to the state in parenthesis:

Medicaid enrollment ($434 million): The bill compels states to enroll in the health insurance program those who are eligible but do not belong.

Medicaid expansion ($112 million): This expands Medicaid coverage to all adults up to 150 percent of the federal poverty limit. New Hampshire currently does not cover able-bodied adults without children under Medicaid and covers single parents who only earn up to 63 percent of the federal poverty limit. The bill commits the federal government to pay 91 percent of the expansion costs through 2014.

Disproportionate Share ($680 million): This would severely restrict a legal billing method the state employs to maximize its Medicaid revenue.

Stephen said the federal bill would be the largest unfunded mandate in history. “We know how much money the federal government claimed to send to states for special education and they’ve never kept the promise,’’ Stephen said. “The numbers we are talking about dwarf special education and anyone in New Hampshire ought to be outraged about it.’’

Kevin Landrigan can be reached at 321-7040 or klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com.