Advocates: Medicaid loss could hurt substance recovery

April 06-- Apr. 6--DOVER -- Betsey Andrews Parker and Lauren Berman of Community Action Partnership of Strafford County raised concerns Friday about the challenges they see for those seeking recovery or in recovery for substance-use disorder if they lost health coverage due to failing to meet New Hampshire's Medicaid work requirements.

Andrews Parker and Berman spoke during the Strafford County Public Health Network's annual legislative breakfast at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

A state law passed last year would require the 50,000 residents who benefit from the expanded Medicaid program to show they have provided at least 100 hours of "community engagement activities" to continue to receive coverage. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the work requirement started on March 1, with the first day of compliance set for June 1.

Community engagement activities include work, community service, education, job skills training and substance-use disorder treatment. One part of a recent bill that passed the state Senate by Democrats a 14-10 party line vote in late March would expand the list of exemptions to include "recovery activities and/or mental illness treatment."

Andrews Parker stressed she was not taking a position on the bill, but she and Berman emphasized people with substance-use disorder would be put in a difficult position if they were to lose Medicaid, which pays for treatment services. "It's not easy to do it on your own," Andrews Parker said of those seeking help without insurance.

Vicki Hebert, coordinator and project director for the Dover Coalition for Youth, said the benefits of drug-use prevention should not be overlooked. She applauded the "significant gains" in helping those with substance-use disorder to get treatment in recent years. She hoped similar efforts could be made in prevention efforts as well. She highlighted the success she has seen with the Dover Coalition for Youth and Dover Youth to Youth.

Herbert cited a drop in alcohol usage over the years among Dover students, according to annual student risk behavior surveys conducted in schools. She said students who have reported using prescription drugs without a prescription have dropped by nearly half.

Hebert said Dover and some other communities, including Rochester and Somersworth, have benefited from a federal grant to aid with prevention activities. But she stressed many other communities could benefit from the prevention efforts.

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