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Maggie Hassan’s Own Brand of Universal Health Care for NH
“Critics may come to call it New Hampshire’s own big debate over health care.
Senate Majority Leader Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, and supporters aren’t wading shyly into the national debate over the cause of health insurance costs with a mega bill (SB 505).
After quite a bit of time in the drafting room, this one came out in print only in the last few days, and will go to the public for the first time at a public hearing March 2.
To be sure, the proposed New Hampshire Health Services Cost Review Commission focuses not on the broad health care affordability question. Instead, it narrows the examination principally to what insurance companies pay and what hospitals provide to those who are insured and those who aren’t.
This still amounts to quite a stew of regulations, market behaviors and raw politics. Talking about this in any form during an election year would hardly be considered to be a cautious act.
The 4,500-word bill would create three full-time commissioners with six-year terms in office who would enjoy broad authority. They could study and make recommendations about setting up a “common payment system’’ that treats hospitals evenly.
The goal clearly is to increase health insurance company competition and change the disparity with some hospitals giving large amounts of free care and others that give away little.
The bill will face its first public hearing soon, and on the same day Senate Republican Leader Peter Bragdon, of Milford, said the committee must make a recommendation.
This is to meet the deadline of Senate policy committees to finish work on bills that need to go to either the Senate Finance or Ways and Means Committee for further review.
“Here we go again,” Bragdon said. “Another big bill with no notice that it even exists and even less knowledge about what this really means, and we’ve got to get it out of committee the same day the public can speak on it.
“That’s the whole theme of this session: too much, too shoddy, too fast.’’
The Democratic answer:
“The whole theme of the Republican response this year has been too much misinformation, too much sour grapes, too much hot air,” one operative dissed.”
Mark Fernald on Universal Health Care for NH
Universal health care a N.H. value – “Ensuring health insurance for all Americans would be an affirmation of the founding values of our state and our nation. It’s time to get the job done.”