Hundreds testify in Concord against Housebudget; Medicaid, child advocate, mental health and schools most cited impacts

Hundreds of Granite Staters pressed the New Hampshire Senate Finance Committee on the Housebudget proposal, urging restoration of funding cut or removed in House Bill 1 and House Bill 2.

Speakers from health care, education, disability services, law enforcement, corrections and the arts said the package would shrink access to mental health care, raise risks for people with disabilities and children, and drain local school and university funding. Nancy Rollins, a retired social worker who helped set up the Office of the Child Advocate, told senators: "I strongly recommend the Office of Child Advocate restoration in the budget."

Why it matters: The House plan would reduce many core state programs simultaneously. Witnesses said those changes would harm the people who rely on Medicaid and home- and community-based services, increase pressure on emergency rooms and jails, and shift costs onto local taxpayers. Speakers repeatedly asked the Senate to reverse the cuts or identify new revenue rather than trimming services.

Most significant details and claims

- Medicaid and related programs: Multiple speakers opposed a proposed 3% across-the-board reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates. Chris Muns, who formerly ran one of the statearea agencies, told the committee that the Housebudget would force "front-line" workers and family caregivers into untenable positions and said the plan "is a self-inflicted crisis." Tiffany Gladue, a registered nurse, said many clients rely on Medicaid-funded care for "very survival" and warned that lower rates would reduce provider staffing and access.

- Developmental disabilities and home- and community-based care: Parents and providers testified that cuts…