Deal moves N.H. toward Medicaid expansion

CONCORD, N.H. — State Senate leaders announced a bipartisan deal Thursday to expand Medicaid to an estimated 49,000 poor New Hampshire adults by using federal funds to pay for private insurance.

Senate President Chuck Morse, a Salem Republican, and Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen of Concord announced the agreement in a presentation before the chamber’s Rules Committee. The committee voted unanimously to allow their bill’s introduction.

Gov. Maggie Hassan praised the agreement in her State-of-the-State speech about an hour later. “With today’s positive step forward, it’s clear that we can work through this together and help working people access critical health coverage,” she said.

Larsen said the agreement is the culmination of private negotiations since efforts to expand Medicaid failed during a special session in November.

“At the end of the day, this is about expanding coverage for tens of thousands of mostly working, low-income citizens, supporting our providers, helping our state budget, and helping our economy. Our bill will do all of these things,” said Larsen.

Morse and Larsen said the agreement’s framework, which will be put into legislation next week, would expand access to private health insurance by using an existing state program that subsidizes employer-based insurance and by buying private coverage through the federal marketplace.

If New Hampshire were to expand the program, the federal government would pick up the full cost for the first three years and 90 percent over the long haul. New Hampshire’s health care providers would share in an estimated $2.4 billion over seven years.

The bipartisan agreement would end when federal funding drops below 100 percent in three years unless the Legislature voted to continue it.

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