HB1

Please keep Medicaid funding at its current level, this is a lifeline for people experiencing hardship and disability. Defacto Medicaid expansion elimination will have adverse effects across the state and lead to people dying of preventable conditions due to lack of access to medical care.

Fully funding the NH Alcohol Fund at 5% is crucial for ensuring that the state can continue to support essential public health initiatives, substance use prevention programs, recovery community organizations, and local communities that rely on these resources for critical services. By allocating five percent of gross profits from alcohol sales to the Alcohol Fund, New Hampshire can invest in improving public safety, providing treatment for those struggling with addiction, and addressing the root causes of substance misuse. Adequate funding ensures that the state's approach to these complex issues remains effective, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of its residents.

I am Lauranne Wingard and I work as a Certified Peer Specialist at Strafford County’s Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), on the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team as mandated. I have been a consumer of mental health services and Medicaid, as well as being a provider. I feel strongly that that funding for Medicaid programs be maintained or increased. Our Team works with the people who most need mental health treatment such as people coming out of the NH Mental Health Hospital (NHH), people coming out of jail, and people who need significant mental health assistance to stay in the community and not in a hospital. Most people we support require multiple visits a week from Mental Health providers to stay healthy, out of crisis, and receive basic supports such as housing, utilities, and food. Things like phones, transportation, dental care, and new shoes are often luxuries that these people must do without. Currently, our Team is able to provide: - A Therapist who provides appropriate counselling for trauma, anxiety, depression, hearing voices, medication management, and many other symptoms and diagnosis including schizophrenia, as well as contributing to the process of deciding if someone needs more intense treatment. - A Case Manager who provides resources for food, phones, utility assistance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), physical health treatment, medical specialists, shoes, dentists, housing, landlord relations, etc., and is often able to advocate with service providers on behalf of the people we support. - A Functional Support Specialist who assists with day-to-day challenges like mental health support, substance abuse, transportation to appointments and grocery, budgeting, family relationships, community relationships, domestic violence, medication monitoring, suicidal ideas and other harmful behaviors, etc. - A Supported Employment Specialist who provides assistance with anything related to getting a job, like aptitude assessments, applications, interview support, skill building, relationships with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), and even accompanying people to their workplace after finding a job to help with anxiety, interpersonal communications, standard workplace procedures (time cards, time off, supervision, etc.) - A Substance Use Specialist who helps with the stages of change that can happen when someone is trying to quit a habit, provides education surrounding Substance Abuse, and offer suggestions and support during withdrawal, if necessary. - A Peer Support who uses their own lived mental health experience in a non-clinical way to be the evidence that someone with significant mental health diagnosis can have a happy and productive life, much like the relationships that exist in many recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). They coach and inspire people to move forward in many aspects and enrich the quality of their lives. - A Doctor who can prescribe and monitor mental health mediations, as well as provide education about medications. Without Medicaid, this is what we are able to provide: - A Therapist - A Doctor Even if you just look at people on ACT Teams at CMHCs around the state, there are hundreds of people who will quite likely not be able to stay in the community if cuts are made to Medicaid’s budget. Add to that people who do not utilize services at a CMHC but rely on Medicaid to pay for mediation co-pays, deductibles, and Medicare premiums to stay healthy. This creates a huge number of people who are likely to end up at NHH because of their inability to stay healthy on their own, which NHH is not prepared to handle. Please carefully consider the Medicaid funding and management when making budgets and voting on legislation for same, and make decisions that show your support of continuing the Medicaid program either at its current funding level or more. Thank you.

I want the House of Representatives to FULLY FUND THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET FOR FY2026 - 2027. In addition, PLEASE ALSO FUND THE BDS PRIORITIZED NEEDS LIST. I am a working mother of three. My eldest daughter has Cornelia de Lange syndrome. She is currently 12 years old and requires full assistance with all activities of daily living. My daughter is healthy and happy. The services we have received in the State of NH have greatly contributed to her, and my entire family's wellbeing. However, as my child ages, and I do as well, the level of care my child needs continues to grow, and my ability to provide that care diminishes. I anticipate at some point my daughter will require services outside of my capability as I age. Increases to fund room and board expenses at residential programs is essential to provide quality care for my daughter. Although I am a fulltime working mom, my ability to cover the costs for these types of programs is very much outside of my ability to pay. With my daughter's limitations in all aspects (physically, cognitively, developmentally) she is unlikely to be able to earn even a limited income to support herself. Further, maintaining an adequate living space in my home for my daughter as long as possible will require extensive changes in the coming years in order to physically move my daughter, bath her, toilet her, etc. I will also require assistance in my home to provide her basic needs and am beginning to look to hire individuals to provide that care. Finding and attracting help has been and continues to be a big challenge. If I am unable to maintain a safe home and hire the supports needed to provide my daughter's ongoing medical and physical needs, I will be unable to care for her in my home and will need to seek placement for her elsewhere. This would mean my eldest daughter would no longer be in her supportive loving home with her brother and sister and myself. Alternatively, I would need to consider leaving employment in order to meet my daughter's growing needs. When my daughter was first born twelve years ago, we were immediately put in contact with early supports and services. Without the huge level of support we received in our home, we would not be where we are today. I would not have the tools or support to care for her, and would require extensive support in a medical or residential facility. Early intervention also allowed our daughter to develop crucial skills and avoid unnecessary confusion and panic for our household. Early intervention helped my family deal with the trauma of nearly losing our daughter at birth, and navigating the unknown medical diagnoses that she did not receive until nearly her first birthday. Without this support my career and ability to contribute to the community I live in would have been severely impacted, if not eliminated. With my daughter's limitations in communication, mobility and cognitive functioning, she needs unique therapies and activities to fully engage in the community. Aquatic therapy and hippo therapy are two recreational activities that have allowed our daughter to develop core concepts that have carried over to every aspect of her life. Our daughter's social circle would be nearly nonexistent otherwise. Her health and happiness would undoubtedly suffer as a result. To this end, I implore you to FULLY FUND THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET FOR FY2026 - 2027. In addition, PLEASE ALSO FUND THE BDS PRIORITIZED NEEDS LIST. Thank you for your time and consideration. Our family is relying on this.

As the House Finance Committee works through the budget process, I urge the committee to prioritize investments that support New Hampshire families. I am submitting testimony in support of the Medicaid (and Granite Advantage) health insurance programs. I have a family member who struggled with substance use disorder (SUD) and today they are in recovery and employed due to the mental health treatment they received via Medicaid and Granite Advantage. Both health insurance programs need to remain affordable as well as accessible, so I respectfully ask the committee to carefully consider the budgetary impact of any premiums and/or co-payments on lower income families. Also, I urge the committee to continue to fund the Alcohol Fund at 5% of liquor gross profits and utilize the Alcohol Fund for the intended purpose of supporting contracted prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. Thank you for your service to New Hampshire and consideration of these critical issues.