HHS head: GOP health bill could result in $820M N.H. Medicaid cut

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers predicted a sharp financial toll on the state’s Medicaid program if the federal Graham-Cassidy health care bill passes, and warned of funding shortages that could result from the bill’s block grant system.

Speaking at a Monitor editorial board meeting Wednesday, Meyers said that the proposed legislation could cause a loss of about $820 million in Medicaid funding between 2020 and 2026, citing calculations made by his office.

And he said other provisions of the bill, such as a mandatory cap on New Hampshire’s Medicaid enhancement tax, could produce deeper revenue cuts.

“We would lose very significantly under the block grant that Graham-Cassidy proposes, as it exists today,” Meyers said. “We would lose significant revenue, which means we’d match less money at the federal level and have less money for care, which would drive up health care costs in New Hampshire.”

Read more: http://www.concordmonitor.com/Jeffrey-Meyers-Graham-Cassidy-reaction-12627410