© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate today to help protect the future of public radio.

Insurance Department Makes Case For Medicaid Expansion

Todd Bookman
/
NHPR

The New Hampshire Insurance Department took an overwhelmingly positive view on expansion during its presentation to the Medicaid Expansion Study Commission, the body that will decide if the state grows the health care program for the poor under so-called Obamacare.

Department officials told the nine-member body that expansion would benefit a wide range of groups, including insurance companies, hospitals and employers with low-paid workers.

Tyler Brannen, a health policy analyst with the Department, testified that people who buy their own insurance also stand to gain.

"If the people who would be qualified for an expanded Medicaid enroll in Medicaid, they are not in our commercial market, and it is reasonable to believe that people that are left in our commercial market are going to be healthier, which may translate into lower premiums," says Brannen.

That view, though, isn’t universally held. Senator Andy Sanborn (R-Bedford) told colleagues he’s expecting a rate hike of between 30-40% next year.

The commission is holding hearings throughout the summer, with a final report due October 15th

At the meeting's conclusion, Chairman Jim Varnum announced that BerryDunn, a Maine-based consulting firm, has been hired to assist in crafting the final document.

As a general assignment reporter, I pursue breaking news as well as investigative pieces across a range of topics. I’m drawn to stories that are big and timely, as well as those that may appear small but tell us something larger about the state we live in. I also love a good tip, a good character, or a story that involves a boat ride.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.