Committee hears broad coalition backing for 'New Hampshire Needs Caregivers' workforce bill

A multi‑pronged bill to bolster New Hampshire’s health‑care workforce won broad support at a Senate Health & Human Services Committee hearing. Senate Bill 244 would fund pipeline programs, expand loan‑repayment and student placements, and include modest Medicaid rate increases intended to retain and recruit clinicians across the system.

Senator Cindy Rosenwald, the bill sponsor, described a long list of proposals: funding a BiState Primary Care Association recruitment hub, supporting middle‑ and high‑school health career programs, increasing student loan repayment for primary‑care clinicians willing to practice in underserved areas, supporting residency training spots in rural regions and authorizing modest, targeted Medicaid rate increases. “We have to interest more students in health‑care careers,” Rosenwald told the committee.

Witnesses included BiState Primary Care Association (recruitment center), AHEC representatives, community health centers, hospitals, community mental‑health centers and associations representing nursing homes, home‑health and hospice agencies. Stephanie Paliuca (BiState) explained the recruitment center’s long history placing clinicians in rural and underserved areas and said a hub‑and‑spoke contract model could scale outreach and recruitment.

Providers including community mental‑health centers, home‑health and hospice associations, and hospital systems said recent rate increases helped stabilize service but more predictable, recurring investments were needed to sustain and grow the workforce. Testimony from home‑health and nursing home leaders highlighted how prior rate increases led to measurable gains in hours of care, while mental‑health providers said vacancies remained high.

Department officials said the bill's Medicaid rate increases carry a measurable fiscal cost if applied “across the board,” and suggested targeted increases could better match available appropriations. Rob Berry (DHHS general counsel) and David Chorney (deputy Medicaid director) described departmental work on fiscal estimates and emphasized the option of targeting rate increases to stretch available funds.

Several witnesses asked that the bill shift some administrative responsibilities to BiState and partner organizations so the department could avoid a large administrative burden. Witnesses also urged predictable, modest recurring rate updates rather than infrequent large corrections.

Ending

The committee limited testimony to three minutes per speaker to accommodate many witnesses. Senators asked for additional information about program design, return on investment and fiscal impacts on Medicaid. Supporters argued SB 244 combines short‑term measures (recruitment, loan repayment, training) with longer‑term education investments to stabilize New Hampshire’s health workforce.