Concord Monitor

By: Ethan DeWitt

But while the New Hampshire program is safe at least until the next budget negotiations in 2019, some are still urging caution. At a press conference Friday, Sen. Maggie Hassan and Rep. Ann Kuster, both Democrats, said that the lapse of CHIP, if made permanent, would spell problems down the road for New Hampshire.

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Tricia Brooks, who served as executive director of New Hampshire’s CHIP program from its inception in 1997 to 2008, said New Hampshire’s present 50-50 arrangement could theoretically be reauthorized by the Legislature for as long as Medicaid stays stable.

“Technically, if the state is prepared to continue helping those states under a 50-50 match, there’s no risk to coverage,” she said.

But she raised another hypothetical challenge: a change to the income eligibility level. With the federal CHIP program officially discontinued, New Hampshire is no longer required to keep its programs open for the same income levels – a provision of the Affordable Care Act called “maintenance of effort.”

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