Pappas highlights impact of Republican budget proposal on health and seniors
The meeting was called to highlight what Pappas terms “the devastating impact” the Republican budget proposal would have on New Hampshire residents’ access to health care, as well as local community health centers’ ability to serve their patients.
MANCHESTER, NH – Following the news that House and Senate Republicans have released drafts of their budget plans, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) held a roundtable with several community leaders, including: Betsy Burtis, COO of Amoskeag Community Health, Jake Berry, VP of Policy at New Futures, Judith Jones, Healthy Aging Policy Coordinator at New Futures and Policy Advisory for New Hampshire Healthy Aging, Patricia Carty, CEO of the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Dr. Gavin Muir, Chief Medical Officer, Amoskeag Community Health, Nancy Mellitt, Director of Development of the New Hampshire Food Bank, and Stacie Merrifield, Culinary and Nutrition Programs Director at the New Hampshire Food Bank.
The meeting was called to highlight what Pappas terms “the devastating impact” the Republican budget proposal would have on New Hampshire residents’ access to health care, as well as local community health centers’ ability to serve their patients.
“The budget draft introduced by extreme House Republicans contains drastic cuts that will threaten the future of health care access, Medicaid, and SNAP benefits for Granite Staters,” said Pappas. “Slashing funding for programs that ensure kids don’t go hungry, provide services for those fighting our ongoing opioid epidemic, and keep our seniors healthy to fund tax cuts for the billionaire class is barbaric. I will do everything I can to stop a budget that places the burden of these cuts on New Hampshire families.”
The proposed budget threatens Medicaid coverage, jeopardizing health care coverage for 68,008 Granite Staters living in New Hampshire’s first district, including 32,000 children and 4,463 seniors. Across the state Medicaid provides health coverage to more than 182,000 total New Hampshire residents – 13.4% of all Granite Staters, 30.1% of all New Hampshire children, and 64% of residents living in nursing homes.
The proposed budget also threatens coverage for 34,000 people in New Hampshire’s first district who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act who would see their average premium go up by $640 per year — a 26% increase. Many families would face even steeper consequences. A 60-year-old couple with a household income of $85,000 would see their health insurance costs increase by $8,788 per year — a 122% increase in premiums.
