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Medicaid expansion extended by 5 years

Bill continues coverage for 52K Granite State residents

By Damien Fisher - Staff Writer | Jun 30, 2018

Staff photo by Damien Fisher Gov. Chris Sununu signs legislation extending the Obama-era Medicaid expansion in the state on Friday in Manchester.

MANCHESTER – “I’ve got 52,000 reasons to vote for this bill,” Nashua’s Republican state Rep. Don LeBrun said in reference to the 52,000 New Hampshire residents who accessed health care when the state expanded Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act.

The Medicaid expansion program part of the act, which some refer to as Obamacare, is going to continue in New Hampshire for another five years. This is thanks to the bipartisan efforts of lawmakers in the House and Senate, and thanks to a major push from Gov. Chris Sununu, who bucked the perceived Conservative bias against the program.

However, as Sununu and other legislative leaders gathered Friday in a cramped conference room in the Manchester Community Health Center for the formal bill signing, the words of LeBrun were quoted again and again, cited as a turning point in the debate on the expansion bill.

LeBrun said the idea of 52,000 potentially people losing their health care was enough motivation for him to work on a legislative fix. Therefore, LeBrun’s words help move the debate forward.

“The governor sent me an emoji,” LeBrun joked Friday.

Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said SB 313 could only pass in New Hampshire, where Democrats and Republicans could get into the details on expanded coverage, dealing with uncompensated care, and instituting a work requirement.

“This is a bill that is a New Hampshire bill,” Bradley said.

Democrats were scarce at the bill signing, likely a result of the election campaign being in full swing. Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, a lead Democratic negotiator on the bill, issued a statement Friday calling for Sununu to follow through on the bill and guarantee the rate paid for mental health and substance abuse care are enough to get people access to care. Feltes hinted Democrats may use the upcoming special legislative session, intended for an internet sales tax bill, to force Sununu to deal with the rates issue.

The law moves Granite Staters on the current Medicaid expansion plans to managed care plans to help drive down the costs. The law also uses money from the state’s liquor fund to make up for the loss of revenue from the federal government. Sununu said the bill does not require a tax, and it does not impact the state’s general fund budget.

“We created a model here for the rest of the country to do it right,” Sununu said.

The law still needs federal approval for some of the waivers it is seeking, such as for the work requirement for able-bodied, childless adults. New Hampshire

Department of Health and Human Services Director Jeffrey Meyers expects to see the federal approvals later this year, and he plans to implement the new law on schedule.

“We are up to the job,” Meyers said. “We’re going to have this program up and running on Jan. 1 of 2019.”

Bradley said the law will allow health care providers to plan for staffing, and more importantly, it will provide the needed help for people in New Hampshire dealing with mental health and addiction issues.

Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-1245 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DF.

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