Sen. Ruth Ward: Our Granite Advantage Is Advantageous To All

Press release from Sen. Ruth Ward:

When new legislative ideas are brought forward in the Granite State, they’re always developed through intense discussion, debate, and often even with compromise. Our tendency to deeply scrutinize these bills makes them stronger and ensures they hold New Hampshire’s best interests. This is exactly the process that took place in 2014 with Medicaid Expansion.

The bill was designed to provide health care coverage to low-income Granite Staters through the federal Medicaid program. Providing financially insecure individuals access to needed medical care was something we all wanted to support in theory, but it needed to hold up in practice. Many, myself included, had deep concerns about how the program would function and the immediate and long-term tax impact it would have on Granite Staters. We needed to make this program beneficial for every New Hampshire resident, not only those taking advantage of it directly.

The result was the developed transformation of Washington D.C.’s Medicaid Expansion into New Hampshire’s Granite Advantage program we have today. We wanted this opportunity to function as a step-up, not a permanent handout, so we included a work requirement. We also insisted on securing funding that did not require the use of General Funds. And as a final safeguard, we made sure Granite State taxpayers would never be on the hook for the program by including an escape clause. Were the Federal Government to fail in contributing its 90% of the Medicaid program as promised, our state would end the program immediately. Through these specific modifications, our Granite Advantage program was born.

Yet, the Legislature went even further to make sure this program made sense for our state. Our legislature developed reauthorization requirements for the program, acting as performance reviews to ensure proper function and continued fiscal responsibility. This temporary testing period turned out to be a success. With a track record of success over the last decade, the program now known as Granite Advantage has the data to prove it.

The results have been to the advantage of all, even those who’ve never participated in the program directly. New Hampshire hospitals have seen a drastic drop in uncompensated care attributed to uninsured patients, from $173 million in 2014 to $69 million in 2021. There is also a 63% reported reduction in the number of uninsured patients seeking emergency room care, along with a 57% reduction in uninsured inpatient admissions, and a 41% reduction in uninsured outpatient visits. Insurance rates have also fallen in the individual market. At $309 per month, New Hampshire has the lowest benchmark rate in the nation according to the Urban Institute and Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

Now having seen our state expand coverage for low-income Granite Staters without increased costs to taxpayers, our Republican Senate President Jeb Bradley is moving to make Granite Advantage permanent. I, along with several other Republican and Democrat Senators are aligned in this effort to do what’s right for New Hampshire, as well as the families who call it home.

Why are Republicans taking the lead on this issue? A large reason is fiscal responsibility. When Granite Staters pay their monthly health insurance premiums or through co-pays when seeking care, they’re paying into the health care system. Hospitals are required to treat every individual who requests care, regardless of their financial ability to pay. Patients without insurance put a heavy financial strain on the overall system, creating a de facto tax on the insured. Granite Advantage has helped lower those costs, benefitting our entire state.

What we have developed in New Hampshire is a program that embodies the values and needs of our state, which is exactly what's driven its success. As carefully as we’ve crafted state budgets, Republicans have developed this program to be both effective and fiscally responsible. As widely as we’ve cut taxes to combat rising costs, Republicans have again worked to lower health care costs for all Granite Staters. And in the state-focused mindset we’ve used to lead independently, we took a D.C.-driven dilemma and turned it into a New Hampshire success.

Senator Ruth Ward Represents District 8

This press release was produced by Sen. Ruth Ward. The views expressed here are the author's own.