Gov. Kelly Ayotte prevented New Hampshire’s Executive Council from moving forward with a four-year, $27.5 million benefits contract with Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire to cover current and retired state employees, according to Sept. 17 meeting records.
The state’s current third-party administrator contract with Anthem will expire at the end of the year. The proposed benefits contract would have covered 27,000 people.
“I really appreciate the great work of the Department of Administrative Services on this contract, but I’m going to pull it,” Ms. Ayotte said during the meeting. “There’s some questions that I have.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported Ms. Ayotte said she wanted to ensure “Anthem is an accountable player and make sure it is consumer-friendly for the state to deal with.”
“There have been serious concerns in the past with the services our retirees have received from Anthem, specifically when it comes to prescription medications,” Rich Gulla, president of the State Employees Association, said in a statement published by the Union Leader.
