A bill to expand insurance coverage for children’s mental health services in New Hampshire is headed back to committee.Senate Bill 498 failed to pass the House on Thursday despite a push from Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who has been outspoken in her support for the bill.Lawmakers narrowly approved an interim study, meaning the bill did not pass this session but will continue to be evaluated.Ayotte spoke to advocates at the State House before the vote Thursday.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go <<“They’re the faces of this bill. They have had children who needed the treatment and the help, and that’s what this is all about,” Ayotte said.Ayotte was critical of the House Commerce Committee initially voting to retain the bill for further study.”If you care about children and you care about our commitment to mental health, then this bill is a no-brainer,” she said at the time.She doubled down on her efforts Thursday.”We’ve all been working hard together because it’s the right thing to do. It’s pretty simple,” Ayotte said.State Rep. John Hunt, R-Rindge, the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said lawmakers revisited the bill because they ran out of time to fully review its language.”We decided we needed time to see if the insurance companies really were going to get into the business of paying for the Fast Forward program or not,” Hunt said.Hunt added that if the proposal were to pass as is, it could lead to higher costs for people with insurance.”People won’t really understand what they did until next January, when it comes up in the budget cycle and there’s a $15 million deficit,” Hunt said.After the vote approving the interim study, Hunt said in a statement:”We agree with Governor Ayotte that children’s mental health coverage is a serious problem. However, the answer to this problem will not be solved through a hasty, last-second Hail Mary. Our committee has a longstanding history of bipartisan cooperation to find real, reasonable and pragmatic solutions. We are committed to delivering a robust, sustainable solution rather than implementing a temporary fix.”We look forward to studying this issue and devising a sensible and measured approach that satisfies all parties and prioritizes patient care and quality. I warmly invite Governor Ayotte to join us this fall as we work on the issue. Together, Republicans, Democrats, and the corner office have the opportunity to come together and deliver a reasonable solution for the people of New Hampshire.”
CONCORD, N.H. —
A bill to expand insurance coverage for children’s mental health services in New Hampshire is headed back to committee.
Senate Bill 498 failed to pass the House on Thursday despite a push from Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who has been outspoken in her support for the bill.
Lawmakers narrowly approved an interim study, meaning the bill did not pass this session but will continue to be evaluated.
Ayotte spoke to advocates at the State House before the vote Thursday.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go <<
“They’re the faces of this bill. They have had children who needed the treatment and the help, and that’s what this is all about,” Ayotte said.
Ayotte was critical of the House Commerce Committee initially voting to retain the bill for further study.
“If you care about children and you care about our commitment to mental health, then this bill is a no-brainer,” she said at the time.
She doubled down on her efforts Thursday.
“We’ve all been working hard together because it’s the right thing to do. It’s pretty simple,” Ayotte said.
State Rep. John Hunt, R-Rindge, the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, said lawmakers revisited the bill because they ran out of time to fully review its language.
“We decided we needed time to see if the insurance companies really were going to get into the business of paying for the Fast Forward program or not,” Hunt said.
Hunt added that if the proposal were to pass as is, it could lead to higher costs for people with insurance.
“People won’t really understand what they did until next January, when it comes up in the budget cycle and there’s a $15 million deficit,” Hunt said.
After the vote approving the interim study, Hunt said in a statement:
“We agree with Governor Ayotte that children’s mental health coverage is a serious problem. However, the answer to this problem will not be solved through a hasty, last-second Hail Mary. Our committee has a longstanding history of bipartisan cooperation to find real, reasonable and pragmatic solutions. We are committed to delivering a robust, sustainable solution rather than implementing a temporary fix.
“We look forward to studying this issue and devising a sensible and measured approach that satisfies all parties and prioritizes patient care and quality. I warmly invite Governor Ayotte to join us this fall as we work on the issue. Together, Republicans, Democrats, and the corner office have the opportunity to come together and deliver a reasonable solution for the people of New Hampshire.”