Sununu urges US Senate to go slow on Medicaid reform

June 24--CONCORD -- Gov. Chris Sununu and legislative leaders are urging lawmakers in Washington to go slow on any plan to cut back on Medicaid.

In a June 22 letter to the majority and minority leaders in the U.S. Senate, Sununu is joined by state Senate President Chuck Morse, R-Salem, and House Speaker Shawn Jasper, R-Hudson, in expressing the state's concerns.

The four-page, single-spaced memo calls for several actions, including creation of a "market stabilization fund" to help keep rates down until the uncertainty about health care law is resolved.

The letter also seeks assurances that states will retain their powers as primary regulators of health insurance.

Regarding planned cuts in federal funds for Medicaid, Sununu urged senators to avoid any major changes before 2019.

"Changes in funding associated with the Medicaid program could have a significant impact on the state budget," the letter states. "It would be highly disruptive, not to mention inefficient, to make changes in the availability of federal funding without giving states sufficient time to take legislative and budget action in response."

The Senate measure proposes phasing out federal support for expanded Medicaid eligibility and would put a cap on Medicaid expenditures.

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