[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6653040,"mediaKeyId","2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197","parentId",2486676,"title","Insurance department proposes resiliency grant program to reduce homeowners insurance costs; funding mechanism prompts industry pushback","audioSeconds",501,"startMs",3603000,"endMs",4104000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197&start=3603&end=4104","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197/thumbnail_3603000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6653040/New-Hampshire/Insurance-department-proposes-resiliency-grant-program-to-reduce-homeowners-insurance-costs-funding-mechanism-prompts-industry-pushback","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653040-08c1741dda5b6aec0d3010ead315c5a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213540&Signature=d-0TLMqy~UIHpS6weTR9DxiW-1oHCSiwrKhDFRphMQkiB8gXlM1lUYO8PEFHFcQsC208mg65LMQTpM5YtZWrXbgn60FkYiawxrk6VMRnhJt1f3bYgHUF3~6sCm-nUya1wlwFvvh1dhMiSJs4JdcEarEOqA58vZ-94MY5VYOBfezpctcJAqrhqwRxZtqMQlteyUpidbsvbP7Oeo6uIUntEoq9vS0WtpIdbc4K5GOGp2f7ZKnzXjVVyDYxAsujZ2qV8k3l29WkdrKb6U2Wj2W4~8dSTQKEI~gcd-mMsnsiWJ74ki5WOq6tigW76ZcRFOpbRWCcKCmfi6N0HhbKm06wLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-03-04T18:09:30.97Z","article","The New Hampshire Insurance Department asked the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs subcommittee to approve enabling language for a Granite State home resiliency grant program that would provide modest grants to homeowners for risk-reducing improvements — for example, fortified roofing, structural retrofits and hazard mitigation — to reduce underwriting risk and lower the likelihood of nonrenewal or placement in surplus lines markets.

Commissioner DJ Bettencourt told the committee the program was modeled on initiatives in several states and designed to be lean and run without new staff. He said the department originally sought a $1 million allocation from insurance premium tax (IPT) revenues but finance leaders said that money was not available, so the department proposed instead to use up to $1 million of funds that may be unexpended from the department’s assessment-based budget or other sources; if necessary an assessment to make up any shortfall could be considered but the department said that step was not expected to be needed in normal years. Bettencourt characterized the assessment-based approach as stable and noted the department’s budget is roughly in the neighborhood of $15 million.

Bettencourt estimated a rough per-company effect of the $1 million at “approximately between $40,000 to $80,000 per company” on a pro rata basis, but said industry treats the assessment as part of normal budgeting and that unspent assessed dollars are typically credited back to carriers the next year. He also said the program could be run as a smaller pilot with whatever unexpended funds were available.

Representatives of insurers and trade groups raised concerns. George Russo, a lawyer representing domestic insurers and property–casualty groups, said the assessment approach effectively acts like a new tax and could trigger reciprocal tax/fee assessments by other states; he noted insurance companies already pay premium taxes, business taxes, licensing fees and assessments and said the proposed collection would be seen as a new, broad-based charge across many lines of business. Industry counsel also raised legal questions about using assessment proceeds for a program not directly tied to regulatory cost recovery.

Lawmakers discussed alternatives. Several members urged the department to carve a program that would accept federal grants and private contributions and to draft narrow statutory language that would allow the program to be established without a guaranteed $1 million state allocation. Commissioner Bettencourt said the department could present an amendment authorizing the program to accept federal or private funds and run as a pilot with whatever money was available; he offered to draft amendment language for the committee.

No final vote was taken on a funding mechanism during the subcommittee meeting. The department agreed to draft an amendment that would establish the program while allowing federal grants and private contributions to seed it; committee members signaled general support for an enabling, pilot-style approach rather than a guaranteed $1 million annual appropriation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Commerce and Consumer Affairs (03/04/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The New Hampshire Insurance Department proposed a Granite State home resiliency grant program intended to help homeowners pay for risk-reducing improvements and to reduce premium spikes and nonrenewals.","taxTitle","Commerce and Consumer Affairs, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17743,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653044,"Subcommittee retains bill on insurance coverage for continuous glucose monitors; fiscal and eligibility questions remain",1668,1680000,3348000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197&start=1680&end=3348","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197/thumbnail_1680000.jpg","/articles/6653044/New-Hampshire/Subcommittee-retains-bill-on-insurance-coverage-for-continuous-glucose-monitors-fiscal-and-eligibility-questions-remain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653044-1ce2123c157437d06ce3eb804bf1c978/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213541&Signature=ZiHkkYYD8-lVA8WnKo6TbHoOJ5Q6tuy0P3oxCI-PfKXYxzSCKVEphAInt~5SH7v1ywmdl5IBswIQvgSGnRvva0EvHLjWyDBsbjMBGHZF6cv4iLocqIC62DVND4Q5iAOYGWwtY8pGV4eVBHsg2o5jcb9Oz-bKMm131Y94w7bycNgtvqRGYJeHWYJjSHoSJ7X6KY~wlPgXwDmC8q0D7s2N-woXRrqXgHS6rDDeOfByTIn4y58~QHQUmLfdb8M9iIrfHmxZFOD~cblXofvOQjKXAU1eC-To-jOlDLSE63HZZiWO1NcvOIUc-nmtL4hfvWty3GvtwFJMhLMhcUEP249NaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs subcommittee voted to retain House Bill 648, which would change insurance coverage rules for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices used by people with diabetes.

Supporters argued CGMs can prevent complications and improve diabetes management; several members cautioned coverage criteria should be narrowly drawn to avoid large premium impacts. Representative Spear said a fiscal estimate he circulated suggested an added cost of about $22 per year per family member under the unamended bill, but department staff later explained that estimate applied to the unamended text and is no longer valid after the amendment that subjects devices to deductibles.

Jason Edge, director of health economics at the New Hampshire Insurance Department, presented the department’s fiscal approach and said the agency estimates the number of newly eligible people if the bill becomes law using insulin-therapy status as the eligibility baseline. Edge noted roughly 30–32 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are treated with insulin and that Medicare has recently reduced criteria for eligibility in some programs (change effective April 2024 was cited).

Representative Hope Damon, identified herself as a retired diabetes educator and dietitian, told the committee that CGM is especially important for people who need frequent monitoring and also highlighted barriers such as needle phobia, tremor disorders, workplace constraints and non-insulin therapies that can make finger-stick testing impractical. Committee members debated whether eligibility should be tied to insulin therapy or to clinical need as determined by the treating clinician.

Committee members asked the department to refine costs under the bill’s amended language. The committee retained HB 648 so staff, stakeholders and the department can develop more precise eligibility criteria and fiscal estimates; the motion to retain passed by a recorded tally the chair announced as 7–0.

The committee also requested working-group collaboration over the summer to draft clearer thresholds (for example, frequency-of-testing criteria or documented glucose variability) and to clarify whether a standalone prescription or an endocrinology referral should be required.","Members retained House Bill 648, which would expand insurer coverage of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Lawmakers and the Insurance Department debated eligibility criteria, fiscal estimates, and clinical thresholds for coverage; committee voted to retain while staff and the department develop narrower language and cost estimates.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653048,"House subcommittee retains bill on alternatives to opioids after sponsor urges preservation",363,1280000,1643000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197&start=1280&end=1643","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197/thumbnail_1280000.jpg","/articles/6653048/New-Hampshire/House-subcommittee-retains-bill-on-alternatives-to-opioids-after-sponsor-urges-preservation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653048-3e3296ca132753e235ca454f2a4bebf7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213541&Signature=NGEKn7DULAFlUyvZVUNDxb6PXAjmDD-HYWCrvI2VJzHWJpvYG3III7NlGeKopGNABPxVuOXaFn5l4DFte2B7JRD93wXg1oJRK1Eu5c0Ea3KnDlZwPIH2MImu7upHyhO9G37HUCVbtdttBHI-EQ402YkQWrANQf8XFxvzxuYIaEkGDoX2V0-Jo0wR3qsRn~-RX3Ecrox9whRQviyktzvtvcHOL1F2QyOTFgtIyxxyQ-TiEvID5tWdzuRd3mGiStg-djrMq4LTNw2pRckuBvqYw0mw5NHzdB2hPPAyhF00UxWHEKHHqbr5g1YOe2GEoxBpUh8tKfM7JLwl4rpTshk2gQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs subcommittee voted to retain House Bill 241, legislation addressing insurance coverage and patient information about alternatives to opioid treatment.

The bill’s sponsor asked the panel to preserve the measure while the committee and department refine an amendment. The sponsor said the amendment was drafted by “Alex at the department” and that carriers and others had received it, and urged members to “retain this bill.”

Members debated the scope and practical effects of the measure. One lawmaker cautioned that the committee lacked definitive evidence about the efficacy of some non-opioid treatments and said she was “not comfortable giving a blanket” recommendation. The sponsor and other members replied that the amendment narrows the bill to modalities already recognized in statute — for example, chiropractic care is listed in current law — and that the goal was to improve patient information and access without intruding on clinical decisionmaking.

Committee members also discussed historical concerns about mandates: a past chiropractic coverage mandate led at times to carriers initially dropping coverage and later restoring it, a back-and-forth some members said demonstrates both market and enforcement implications of coverage mandates.

After discussion, Chair Hunt moved to retain House Bill 241; the motion was seconded by Representative Petousek. The committee recorded six members voting in favor of retention.

The committee will return to the bill later to consider the department-drawn amendment and to narrow eligibility and implementation language where members requested clearer clinical thresholds and protections for clinical decisionmaking.","The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs subcommittee voted to retain House Bill 241, which aims to address use and coverage of alternatives to opioids; sponsor urged members to keep the bill while an amendment drawn by the Department is considered.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6653034,"Subcommittee narrows disclosure bill on third‑party settlement funding, removes several prohibitions after lawyer objections",1593,8398000,9991000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197&start=8398&end=9991","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2486676-cc3343dcb5dccf686b89520cb6026197/thumbnail_8398000.jpg","/articles/6653034/New-Hampshire/Subcommittee-narrows-disclosure-bill-on-thirdparty-settlement-funding-removes-several-prohibitions-after-lawyer-objections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6653034-94b81d4f72f8379ef69b6e8412d730f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771213541&Signature=Yr-jqOe-4UwisGpoUsvKyLk5gHSs0k5auENlwJ0A-iS-hYhbFMO2LBeu-Jgun0V6zTqRQYZT9CwyonMYGFPLcI17IuYK5a1E9xtpfghtHke6tSt3eB4RM61w7Y1uUBkM1juu0Y2Q~6H9anoQRwXmWgfs9VaaSRDAd6opL1HpWxUu26LWYkcumVdU0aASb5vHn2p~ImhjSFFRL4yOOULsW1jp1AG6Bn-Ea46QSSYjP3ZGdF3TEgWd3U~5K6Fklcc5W3b2kG6ehDtHHw6YsCJ5RUwKyWd08ZZWBzz2zYFDFb2wp~tFca9T4L~BcmdCLwcVz-l5a4aPwABk3i3oRSnzjQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs subcommittee considered a proposed Third-Party Litigation Funding Transparency Act that would require disclosure when plaintiffs secure outside financing tied to settlements.

Several attorneys and advocates testified about the draft. Nashua lawyer Anthony Scullen urged caution about provisions that would restrict interactions between funders and counsel and described potential problems in rare or complex litigation, saying the bill risks micromanaging attorney-client relationships. Industry and plaintiff‑side counsel debated how prescriptive statutory language should be about control, influence and disclosures.

Cam Lapine of Orr & Reno and other counsel representing insurers and trade groups argued for symmetrical disclosure if the committee’s concern was to inform consumers; they suggested that reserve amounts and litigation budgets for defendants (often insurer-funded defenses) would be similarly material. Other lawyers described federal civil practice differences in other jurisdictions and warned the committee not to overreach into long‑standing professional-ethics territory.

After discussion, the subcommittee agreed — by voice/hand vote in subcommittee — to delete the bill’s more prescriptive prohibitions (roman numerals 2–4 in proposed RSA 294‑F) that would have broadly barred funder influence on litigation strategy and related matters. The committee kept the disclosure requirement that a claimant must notify the court that a commercial litigation financing agreement exists but removed the more intrusive operational prohibitions; members also asked the sponsor and counsel to remove definitions tied only to the deleted prohibitions.

Members instructed staff to return a revised draft to the full committee. The chair said the subcommittee’s goal is transparency about the existence of funding arrangements, not to impose detailed operational rules that could conflict with ethical or procedural rules already enforced by courts.","Lawyers and stakeholders debated a proposed Third-Party Litigation Funding Transparency Act; the subcommittee agreed to remove a set of prohibitions related to commercial litigation funding and asked sponsors to adjust definitions. The committee also discussed symmetry with insurer-funded defense disclosure but did not adopt new reciprocal rules.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Insurance department proposes resiliency grant program to reduce homeowners insurance costs; funding mechanism prompts industry pushback

Subcommittee retains bill on insurance coverage for continuous glucose monitors; fiscal and eligibility questions remain

House subcommittee retains bill on alternatives to opioids after sponsor urges preservation

Subcommittee narrows disclosure bill on third‑party settlement funding, removes several prohibitions after lawyer objections