January 8, 2010
The 2010 legislative session started Wednesday with voting on bills retained from last year. The House was in a feisty mood and lengthy debate occurred on changes to House Rules even before we started on the bills. At the end of the day we had only voted on 14 bills and the Consent calendar. Wednesday was another bad day for NH Business struggling to afford health care as the NH House passed two additional insurance mandates. The first, HB561, would require insurers to pay up to $1500 every three years for hearing aids (209-157 vote) . The second (HB 569, passed 213-147) would mandate additional coverage for autism disorders, described by the majority report as “behavioral therapy, speech and occupational therapy along with already covered medications, health related services, and psychiatric services when they are part of a written plan ordered by a doctor…”. It is important to note that these changes only apply to private insurance which represents approximately 30% of those covered in the state. It does NOT apply to state employees, or to self-insured corporate plans. The bills go to the Senate for hearings.
We return next Wednesday to vote on the remaining bills. Hearing started in committees Thursday. Most committees have aggressive hearing scheduled. I will be providing updates on bills of interest as we progress. The business community is very angry with the 12th hour changes to how LLC’s are taxed. This provision was added late at night to balance the budget—the public did not have a chance to weigh in on the changes. There is a bill filed to repeal that provision and the public will have a chance to provide input. Finally, the health care debate in Washington will have a significant financial impact on the state on NH. Estimates are that the bill may cost the state $60 million in the next biennium, and even more in future years. This is a cost that we can’t afford given the estimated $500-600 million structural deficit going into the next budget year. This is a work in progress and needs to be watched closely.