As the NH Senate considers changes to the state's Medicaid expansion, the NH Fiscal Policy Institute has issued a brief examining this important program and its impact on public health and economy. The New Hampshire Health Protection Program, the state's version of Medicaid expansion, provides health coverage to approximately 52,000 low-income people in the Granite State.
More than 90 percent of program expenses have been funded by the federal government since the program began in 2014. Since that time, hundreds of millions of federal dollars have helped provide medical care for Granite Staters and contributed to the state economy, both through payments to medical providers and helping ensure a healthy, productive workforce, and assisting the state’s efforts to combat the ongoing opioid crisis.
Federal dollars coming to New Hampshire through expanded Medicaid included $608.7 million for enrollee coverage in the first two state fiscal years of program operation. Going forward under current federal law, for every one dollar the state pays for expanded Medicaid coverage, the federal government will contribute at least nine dollars. Without legislative action, the current program will expire at the end of December 2018.
NHFPI's Issue Brief explains the framework of the existing Medicaid expansion program, considerations surrounding the program, and the State Senate’s proposed changes. The report outlines the different funding structures for the non-federal share of the current and proposed programs, and describes the proposed shift to a managed care model. The Appendix provides data on the dollar amount of coverage benefits paid for enrollees by city or town for the last State fiscal year.
Current Issue - May 2024