Senate committee hears bill to create uncompensated mental‑health assessment for community providers

CONCORD, N.H. — Lawmakers heard testimony Jan. 20 on Senate Bill 136, a proposal to establish an uncompensated mental‑health care assessment fund and a committee within the New Hampshire Department of Insurance to allocate money to community mental health centers.

Senator Deborah Altschiller, sponsor of SB 136, told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee the bill would create an assessment targeted only at uncompensated mental‑health care and administered by the insurance department. “This bill is only about mental health care,” she said, asking the committee to amend wording and to consider adding the words “mental health” where missing in the draft.

Supporters — including leaders of the state’s 10 community mental health centers and the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association — said uncompensated costs have climbed sharply in recent years and threaten the centers’ ability to deliver outpatient services, prevention and the state’s Mission 0 objective to eliminate psychiatric boarding in emergency departments.

Dr. Cynthia Whitaker, president and CEO of Greater Nashua Mental Health, said her center’s uncompensated care rose to $2.5 million in the last year after remaining about $1 million annually for years. “Our philanthropy…