New Hampshire lawmakers to vote on Medicaid expansion

LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) - Medicaid expansion will be among the bills up for a vote this session in New Hampshire.

Lawmakers in the Granite State reconvene this week for the start of the new legislative session.

State law requires them to reauthorize Medicaid funding.

Lawmakers say about 52,000 low-income Granite Staters qualify for Medicaid, which often is used for mental health services.

“If we shift away, what will the costs be for our local hospitals, for primary care physicians, the rest of the health care system? And when we fail to fund that properly, the taxpayers, Granite Staters end up paying those bills,” said Sen. Sue Prentiss, D-Lebanon.

The Medicaid expansion impact on the biannual budget is between $35 million and $39 million. That’s 10% of the total cost. The federal government covers the other 90%.

The last time Medicaid was expanded in New Hampshire was in 2018.

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.