CONCORD – House Republican Leader Dick Hinch (R-Merrimack) offered the following statement on the passage of SB290, relative to the New Hampshire granite advantage health care program. The bill would significantly water down provisions worked out in a bipartisan manner last year relative to the work requirement for enrollees, and set an dangerous position of allowing general funds to be used for the program.
“Just last year, Democrats and Republicans worked together on solutions to improve the granite advantage health care program by including common sense provisions to help enrollees with a common sense work requirement, and protect taxpayers by prohibiting use of general funds. This bill breaks with those two key provisions, and Republicans are extremely disappointed at the reversal on these bipartisan agreements. This bill will result in less incentives for enrollees to participate in our economy in a way that may help them get off the program in the future, and may put state tax payers on the hook for tens of millions in new costs. This is the wrong direction for the program and our state. So much for negotiation in good faith”.
“Just last year, Democrats and Republicans worked together on solutions to improve the granite advantage health care program by including common sense provisions to help enrollees with a common sense work requirement, and protect taxpayers by prohibiting use of general funds. This bill breaks with those two key provisions, and Republicans are extremely disappointed at the reversal on these bipartisan agreements. This bill will result in less incentives for enrollees to participate in our economy in a way that may help them get off the program in the future, and may put state tax payers on the hook for tens of millions in new costs. This is the wrong direction for the program and our state. So much for negotiation in good faith”.