On July 28, 2020, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed HB 250, a bill which would have provided dental benefits for the over 100,000 adults enrolled in traditional and expanded Medicaid at the time. In his veto message he stated:

“As the State of New Hampshire is facing historic revenue shortfalls, there is a fiscal necessity to bring our budget into balance and live within the means of our new revenue base. Working with state agencies and the Legislature, we must begin the process of making the hard choices with our limited resources. I cannot support adding this $11 million a year General Fund expense…”

In 2021, thanks to the Democratic led budget signed in 2019, New Hampshire finished the year with nearly $300 million in revenue surplus. However, despite the dramatic increase in available funds, there is still no adult Medicaid dental benefit, in spite of my repeated legislative efforts this year. Despite making a commitment to include this policy in the budget, during the committee of conference process Republicans collectively agreed to remove the provision which would have funded the benefit for the now over 120,000 Granite State adults on Medicaid.

TI plan to try again during the upcoming session. Maybe the third time will be the charm for an adult dental benefit. We all agree it will improve health, save taxpayers money, and help pull people out of poverty.