New Hampshire Senate Approves Medicaid Expansion Proposal

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New Hampshire’s fault line for expanding its Medicaid program has always run through the GOP-controlled Senate.

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Under the bill which passed 18-5, roughly 50,000 low-income residents would get coverage through the government. Starting this summer it would come through Medicaid, but then in 2016, recipients would select private insurance on the exchange.

The federal government promises to pay 100% of the costs for the newly eligible.

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Andy Sanborn of Bedford was one of five lawmakers who voted against the plan. He says cost estimates have the potential to explode in coming years, potentially leaving New Hampshire residents on the hook.

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Greg Moore with the conservative advocacy group Americans For Prosperity says Medicaid expansion under Obamacare could be the decisive issue this November.

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The proposal still needs to move through the Democratically-controlled House, which will start debate next week.

Representative Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) says the Senate’s bill is close in substance to what House leaders approved in the past.

“They’ve done a good job. I think it is a strong, bi-partisan effort, and I think it will be good for New Hampshire,” says Rosenwald.

http://nhpr.org/post/nh-senate-approves-medicaid-expansion-proposal