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DHHS outlines costs and medical‑necessity test for Medicaid biomarker coverage; advocates press for earlier access
Summary
DHHS officials told the committee Senate Bill 606 would require New Hampshire Medicaid to cover medically necessary biomarker testing; department actuaries estimate a $170k–$600k annual state cost depending on uptake. Cancer and Alzheimer advocates urged adoption to improve early diagnosis and treatment access.
Sen. Regina Bersa, sponsor of SB 606, said the bill would require Medicaid to cover biomarker testing when the program determines a test is medically necessary. Dr. Jonathan Ballard, DHHS chief medical officer, reviewed the federal requirement that state Medicaid programs apply a medical‑necessity standard before federal matching funds can be used.
Dr. Ballard said thousands of biomarker tests…
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