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Commissioner reports state budget and Medicaid items; 504 account and ProShare updates
Summary
A county commissioner who represents Strafford County on the State‑County Finance Committee gave a status update on state budget items affecting local long‑term‑care funding, ProShare distributions and Medicaid changes.
A county commissioner who represents Strafford County on the State‑County Finance Committee gave a status update on state budget items affecting local long‑term‑care funding, ProShare distributions and Medicaid changes.
The commissioner said the state’s 504 account — the program that funds nursing home support — is projected in the governor’s proposal at about $283 million for the coming year and roughly $300 million the following year; both the House and the Senate retained that funding level during committee work. The committee report also reflected agreement in both chambers on a proposed 3% increase to a cap that affects reimbursement calculations; the commissioner said the increase was kept in the conference process.
He described a proposal prepared by Chuck Nickerson of Rockingham County (referred to in the meeting as “Chuck’s bill”) to refund money the state collected during the first 18 months of the COVID emergency; the proposal would return roughly $22 million over four years to counties that were double‑billed. The commissioner said that refund language appears in both House and Senate versions and that the amount would be paid out over the current biennium.
Staff also discussed federal Medicaid changes and said the recent federal adjustments will not affect the county’s bed tax or FMAP calculations for the county’s two federally funded programs. The county representative said that although the administration and budget numbers will continue to shift, the current committee posture looks favorable for the county’s major long‑term care funding items.
Ending: The commissioner characterized the State‑County Finance Committee as in flux during changes in administration but said the current developments — retention of the 504 account funding and potential refund language — are positive for county long‑term‑care finances. He said the committee will continue work and that final outcomes will depend on conference negotiations between chambers.
