We applaud today’s bi-partisan vote by the NH Senate to reauthorize New Hampshire’s Medicaid Expansion program and their support of continuing this important investment in the health of our state and the people it serves.
Approving the reauthorization of this vital program ensures that more than 50,000 low-income, previously uninsured New Hampshire residents have the health coverage needed to be seen by a primary care doctor or in a health clinic, to receive important primary and preventive care, cost-effective management of chronic conditions, and life-saving mental health and substance use services.
Since its inception, Medicaid Expansion has successfully reduced the number of uninsured patients seeking care in emergency rooms, reduced the amount of uncompensated care provided by hospitals to those without insurance, and reduced the cost shift to those with insurance, and we look forward to building upon those successes over the next five years.
The actions taken today by the New Hampshire Senate to reauthorize New Hampshire’s Medicaid Expansion program are a testament of their commitment to assure that New Hampshire’s most vulnerable citizens will continue to be able to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Steve Ahnen is president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association