Concord, NH -The Senate Finance Committee today voted ought to pass on HB 1696, a bill to reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan for two years. Without this legislation, the current plan is set to end in December 2016.
Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) issued a statement following the Finance Committees vote on HB 1696.
“I want to thank the Senators who voted for HB 1696 today because it means we are one step closer to providing continuity of care through access to private health insurance for 48,000 New Hampshire citizens currently part of the New Hampshire Health Protection Plan.
“The program has allowed more than 6,000 individuals access to critical substance abuse treatment programs amidst a heroin crisis in our state that is the most significant public health emergency in recent memory. This program has also significantly reduced the cost of uncompensated care at hospitals by nearly $150 million, which has put a break on the rise of health insurance costs for New Hampshire citizens since it began 18 months ago.”
“This new legislation has strengthened taxpayer protections and ensures that any funding for the program is outside of the State’s general fund, and is in no way supported by taxpayer dollars.”
“We’ve built this plan in HB 1696 to be reflective of the original intent of the program, which means we have a New Hampshire specific plan that provides access by low income families to private health insurance using federal dollars and I believe it is the right thing to do for New Hampshire citizens.”
The Senate will vote on HB 1696 this Thursday during Session.
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