CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire is close to meeting its first-year enrollment target for the state’s newly expanded Medicaid program less than six months after sign-ups began.

The state’s previous Medicaid program covered low-income children, parents with non-disabled children under 18, pregnant women, older residents and people with disabilities. The expansion adds anyone under 65 who earns up to 138 percent of federal poverty guidelines, which is about $15,900 for a single adult.

State officials had expected 30,000 to 40,000 of the estimated 50,000 eligible adults would sign up in the first year either through the state’s managed care program for Medicaid or a program that subsidizes existing employer coverage. As of mid-week, just fewer than 25,300 had signed up.

Mary Ann Cooney, associate commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, attributes the high numbers to the education and outreach efforts by her department and others and strong relationships among state officials, community health and mental health centers and hospitals.

“This is what I dreamed we would get as a result, but I didn’t think we would be at 25,000 less than six months into enrollment,” she said.

Until she recently signed up, Terry French of North Conway said she hadn’t been insured for 21 years because most of her jobs didn’t offer it and she couldn’t afford it on her own. French, who works at a fitness center and has custody of her 7-year-old grandson, said she had gone without treatment for scoliosis and sometimes went to the emergency room with migraines. For other issues, she paid what she could at a community health center.

“It’s amazing,” she said of her new coverage.

While there was some concern that a surge in enrollment would lead to a stampede that overwhelmed hospitals and other providers, that doesn’t appear to be the case so far, Cooney said.

“This population is generally a healthier population, so they’re not the ones that are automatically being hospitalized and automatically seeking lots and lots and services,” she said.

Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, said, “We anticipate that, as in other states which have adopted similar measures, the number of patients who have no insurance will go down while the number of patients who have insurance will go up. That’s good news for patients because it ensures that they are able to get the right care, at the right time, and in the right place,” he said. “But it’s also good news for businesses and those with insurance who have been paying the hidden tax of caring for those without insurance and for helping to reduce the cost of health care in New Hampshire.”

Negotiations among state lawmakers to expand Medicaid under President Obama’s health care overhaul law broke down during a special session in November of last year, but Republican lawmakers later agreed to a plan that uses federal money to put people on private plans. The program is projected to cost $340 million a year when fully implemented and would use 100 percent federal funding through 2017. Coverage will end if federal funding drops below 100 percent and ends regardless at the end of 2016 if the Legislature doesn’t reauthorize it.

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