New Hampshire's Senators at Odds with Governor over Medicaid

By Don Rush on Wednesday, July 24, 2002.

The Senate moved toward approving an amendment that would provide New Hampshire with money to shore up the state's Medicaid program.

But the issue found the state's two senators at odds with the governor.

For NHPR News, Don Rush has this report:

NEW HAMPSHIRE?S POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT

FOUND ITSELF AT ODDS?AS ASENATE MEASURE?TO

PROVIDE NEARLY 9 BILLION DOLLARS IN ADDITIONAL

FUNDS FOR MEDICAID AND OTHER SOCIAL SPENDING.

THE AMENDMENT TO THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG

LEGISLATION?WOULD INCREASE THE FEDERAL

SHARE OF MEDICAID MATCHING FUNDS FOR STATE

MEDICAID PROGRAMS OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND

A HALF.

NEW HAMPSHIRE WOULD PICK UP?NEARLY

29 MILLION DOLLARS IN ASSISTANCE.

GOVERNOR JEANNE SHAHEEN NOTED THAT NEW

HAMSPHIRE?S MEDICAID CASELOAD WAS UP 10

PERCENT OVER LAST YEAR.

AND SHE?URGED THE STATE?S REPUBLICAN

SENATORS?TO SUPPORT THE MEASURE.

BUT?SENATOR JUDD GREGG BLASTED THE

THE MEASURE?DOWNPLAYING ITS SIGNIFICANCE

FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE:

(SOUND: ?State?s like mine don?t benefit a whole lot from this proposal, but for states which have been less ?
may be ? effective in their ability to deal with Medicaid this bill basically is a 9 billion dollar bailout.?)

BUT?GREGG GOT OPPOSITION FROM

NEIGHBORING NEW ENGLAND STATES.

SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS OF MAINE

COUNTERED THE MEASURE IS NOT A BAILOUT

OF THE STATES:

(SOUND: ?This proposal offers real relief to our state governments who are struggling with revenue shortfalls. But most important it offers the promise that, low-income families who depend on Medicaid will not face a cut off of some of their important benefits?.)

BUT?GREGG SAID?HE WAS ALSO CONCERNED

THAT THE EXTRA SPENDING?WOULD INCREASE THE

AMOUNT OF GOVERNMENT RED INK.

(SOUND: ?But I have to ask the question. Why aren?t we offsetting this 9 billion dollars. Why are we just coming out onto the floor and saying let?s take another 9 billion dollar hit on the federal treasury which we don?t happen to have any money in right now and add that to the deficit. It makes very little sense from the stand point of fiscal policy.?)

SENATOR GREGG AND BOB SMITH VOTED

AGAINST ALLOWING SPENDING IN THE BILL?THAT

GOES BEYOND THE CURRENT BUDGET LIMITS.

THE AMENDMENT OVERCAME THE BUDGET

LIMITATION VOTE?BY A MARGIN OF 75 TO 24.

FOR NHPR NEWS

THIS IS DON RUSH

IN WASHINGTON