Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Benefits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate committee hears testimony on bill to extend Medicaid coverage for biomarker tests
Summary
Senate hearing on SB606 focused on an amendment limiting biomarker testing coverage to Medicaid recipients so the state can collect data on costs and outcomes; DHHS described federal medical-necessity standards and provided a fiscal estimate, while patient advocates urged quicker action to improve early diagnosis.
Concord — Lawmakers heard bipartisan testimony on Senate Bill 606, which would expand access to biomarker testing for Medicaid recipients to support precision medicine and early diagnosis.
Senator Regina Bartzell, prime sponsor, said the proposed amendment narrows the bill to Medicaid only so the state can “collect data to review the impact and potential savings on early treatment of patients.” She told the committee the change aims to avoid immediate rate impacts on commercial insurance while allowing New Hampshire to measure outcomes.
Jonathan Ballard, chief medical officer at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, told the panel the Medicaid program follows the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ definition of medical necessity and that the program already covers some biomarkers but not many others. Ballard said coverage decisions must align with CMS rules to protect the federal matching funds. He summarized that the amendment “does a few things that are very supportive in helping us as a Medicaid program to ensure that the language is compliant with us to maintain medical necessity.”
DHHS budget staff provided preliminary actuarial estimates produced with Milliman, showing a low-end incremental cost of about $520,803 in total expenditures (state share roughly $167,000) and a high-end estimate near $1.87 million. Ballard and staff said a formal fiscal note would be submitted for committee review.
Advocacy groups including the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer's Association backed the bill. Mike Rollo of the American Cancer Society said access varies by location and care setting and urged lawmakers to proceed. Alzheimer’s Association witnesses described both statewide prevalence and potential downstream savings, with one witness noting an earlier diagnosis could save “approximately $63,000 per person” in national estimates cited during testimony.
Family members and caregivers gave personal examples of diagnostic delays and the potential benefits of earlier, biomarker-driven diagnoses. John Ziemba and Kathy Harvard recounted lengthy diagnostic journeys and urged the committee to consider the real-world effects of quicker, more accurate testing.
The committee closed SB606 testimony with members asking DHHS to return fiscal and implementation details. No committee action or final vote on the bill was recorded in the transcript; the hearing was closed and the panel moved to the next item on the agenda.
