The state’s executive council voted Wednesday to approve Gov. Maggie Hassan’s request for the session. In a news release, Gov. Hassan called the expansion “a significant opportunity to improve the health and financial well-being of our families, strengthen our economy and improve our state’s financial future.”
Earlier this week, a New Hampshire commission of lawmakers, officials and members of the public recommended the state expand its Medicaid program to cover people earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Under a 7.5-year model, the expansion would result in $2.4 billion in federal expenditures and $103 million in New Hampshire general funds expenditures to cover 48,358 new enrollees, according to the commission’s report. However, extending Medicaid eligibility would also result in about $64 million in net revenue offsets to the state.
The commission favors expansion through the New Hampshire Access to Health Program, which would deliver Medicaid benefits through a managed care model, according to the report. Not expanding Medicaid would increase the burden of uncompensated care in the state and result in increasingly unstable insurance markets, according to the commission.
More Articles on Medicaid Expansion:
Commission Recommends New Hampshire Medicaid Expansion
Analysis: 5.2M People Could Fall Into PPACA Coverage Gap
Gov. John Kasich Plans to Expand Medicaid in Ohio With Panel’s Approval
