NH House Votes in Support of Health Protection Program Reauthorization

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2016

Concord, NH – Earlier today, the New Hampshire House of Representatives approved HB 1696, which would reauthorize the New Hampshire Health Protection Program through December 2018. New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute Executive Director Jeff McLynch issued the following statement:

“Today’s vote marks an important milestone for nearly 48,000 Granite Staters who depend on the Health Protection Program for access to affordable health coverage.

“The Health Protection Program helps low wage workers who could not otherwise afford health coverage. It helps individuals who temporarily fall on hard times and it helps those who are forced to reduce their work hours to care for an aging parent, a sick child, or other family member facing serious illness.

“Access to health coverage is a key component to ensuring economic stability for New Hampshire workers and families who struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

“At the same time, the Health Protection Program will enable New Hampshire to bring more than $800 million of our federal tax dollars back to the state through the end of 2018 to help address critical public health needs, providing much needed resources to bolster our mental health system and combat the substance use disorder crisis.

“We commend the members of the House of Representatives for this bipartisan vote in support of the reauthorization of the New Hampshire Health Protection Program. Their action brings New Hampshire one step closer to ensuring that thousands of hard-working Granite Staters have continued access to affordable health coverage that will increase their ability to achieve economic security.”

The New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to exploring, developing, and promoting public policies that foster economic opportunity and prosperity for all New Hampshire residents, with an emphasis on low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Learn more at www.nhfpi.org.

 

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