Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs panel advances framework for SB 134 Medicaid work requirements

Concord — The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs committee reviewed proposed language for SB 134 in a work session that would shift New Hampshire from seeking a waiver to adopting a federal-aligned plan for Medicaid work requirements, and agreed to send both a bare-bones amendment and a merged, more detailed amendment to the full committee on Nov. 12.

The committee’s chair opened the session by saying the amendment package was revised after talks among the department, the bill’s prime sponsor and the governor’s office so the state could submit a plan and avoid a gap in coverage while staying aligned with federal changes. Representative Cofield, the bill sponsor, described amendment 3051h as the core, "must pass" text and 3054h as an optional, more detailed layer that adds definitions and procedural protections.

Committee members and department officials focused on three operational issues: how applicants and current recipients will prove compliance with work requirements, what exemptions will be allowed, and how the department will verify information. The merged amendment under consideration would require applicants to demonstrate compliance for a look-back period (states may choose one to three months under federal guidance),…