Press Releases
June 30, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Jake Berry, New Futures
jberry@new-futures.org, 603-493-8781
Governor Ayotte Signs 2026-27 State Budget Including Harmful Medicaid Provisions that Will Create Barriers to Care and Threaten Health Care System Stability
CONCORD, NH – On Friday, June 27, Governor Ayotte signed into law New Hampshire's 2026-27 State Budget, which includes several changes to the state's Medicaid programs that will harm the health of Granite State individuals and families.
Certain New Hampshire’s Medicaid programs now include work requirements and increased premiums — provisions that could force thousands of Medicaid recipients in New Hampshire to lose their coverage. Adults covered by the Granite Advantage Health Care Program, more commonly known as Medicaid expansion, will be required to prove they complete 100 hours of work or other qualifying activities each month to be eligible for coverage. Further, some adults and children covered by Medicaid expansion and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will have to pay premiums, as well as increased pharmacy co-pays, to qualify for their insurance coverage.
Now passed into law, these policies will shift more costs to families and low-wage individuals, imposing significant financial burdens and limiting access to care for some of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable residents. They will particularly affect New Hampshire children, who make up half of the state’s Medicaid population with over 86,000 children enrolled. Beyond the direct impacts on individuals and families, safety net providers will face increased uncompensated care costs unless the state takes proactive steps to protect coverage.
In response, members of the NH Medicaid Matters Coalition issued the following statements:
Borja Alvarez de Toledo, CEO & President, Waypoint: “Waypoint is deeply concerned and disappointed that the 2026–2027 state budget includes Medicaid work requirements and premiums, policies that could cause some New Hampshire families to lose the critical healthcare coverage they depend on. For the families Waypoint serves, Medicaid is more than insurance—it’s a vital lifeline to health care, stability, and opportunity. Medicaid keeps children healthy, keeps families together, and gives them a fighting chance. Waypoint is committed to working with the state, our legislators, our clients, and other providers to ensure families don’t lose this essential lifeline under these new requirements.”
Dr. Christine Arsnow, President, NH Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics: “The NH American Academy of Pediatrics opposes Medicaid work requirements and premiums. Increased pharmacy co-pays lead families to neglect preventative treatments for conditions like asthma, resulting in increased sick visits and hospitalizations. Medicaid work requirements are an unnecessary administrative hurdle that impede healthcare access for thousands of Granite Staters, including parents. Barriers to health insurance for low-income families ultimately will harm New Hampshire’s children.”
Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy, New Futures: “Here in New Hampshire, Medicaid is a lifeline for more our friends and neighbors in need. Sadly, these changes will only weaken our critical Medicaid programs and force people to lose their insurance coverage when they need it most. At New Futures, we’re disappointed that these harmful provisions were included in the State Budget, and we vow to continue to work with our health care providers and our lawmakers to ensure that everyone in our state can access the health care they need.”
Carlene Ferrier, Executive Director, New Hampshire Nurses Association: “The lack of moral compass applied to this budget in the form of demanding more from the most vulnerable populations with the least, is very distressing to the nursing community who give care daily to the groups impacted by the work requirements, copays, and increased premiums. We all know this will amount to uncompensated care, decreased reimbursement for healthcare providers, poorer health outcomes, a less robust economy, and more uninsured NH citizens. We can and must do better!”
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Maggie Pritchard, President, NH Community Behavioral Health Association: “Medicaid is critical to the health and stability of our communities, and we recognize the difficult decisions involved in shaping policy that supports both fiscal responsibility and public well-being. The newly passed changes to NH’s Medicaid that include provisions such as work requirements, premiums and cost-sharing are deeply concerning for our centers across the state. For Community Mental Health Centers, these policies shift precious clinical resources toward administrative compliance, increase uncompensated care, and undermine the very supported employment programs they aim to promote. The result is a system that punishes vulnerability and destabilizes treatment, not just for individuals, but for the providers who support them. The State of NH will have increased difficulty meeting the obligations of the Mission Zero court agreement as more uninsured use the emergency department for care. We urge policymakers to consider the real-life impact of these changes and to work with the behavioral health community to ensure that Medicaid remains accessible, compassionate, and effective for those who rely on it. The NH Community Behavioral Health Association will remain committed to collaborating with state leaders to find solutions that protect access to care while honoring the dignity and complexity of those we serve.”
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Dr. Gillian Sowden, President, NH Psychiatric Society: “The New Hampshire Psychiatric Association is deeply concerned that new Medicaid work requirements and premiums will create dangerous barriers to care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. These policies risk interrupting treatment, destabilizing recovery, and increasing psychiatric crises by forcing people to navigate unnecessary administrative and financial hurdles. We urge policymakers to reconsider these changes and protect access to essential mental health care for New Hampshire’s most vulnerable residents.”
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Susan Stearns, Executive Director, NAMI New Hampshire: “Medicaid plays a critical role in ensuring Granite Staters are able to access essential mental health care that allows them to live independently in the community. Work requirements and premiums will result in more of our loved ones with mental illness losing coverage and therefore being unable to access timely care, leading to more people boarding in emergency departments, more hospitalizations, increased homelessness, and, for far too many, involvement with the justice system. NAMI NH reaffirms our commitment to working with people with lived experience, our partners, and State leaders to ensure that every Granite Stater can access mental health care when and where they need it.”
Kristine Stoddard, Senior Director of NH Public Policy, Bi-State Primary Care Association: “Granite Staters, especially those who are insured by NH's Medicaid Program, will undoubtedly be hurt by the budget signed into law last week. Parents and caregivers will be forced to choose between putting food on their table and paying their child’s Medicaid premium. Our friends, neighbors, and our health care system cannot afford the policy changes to NH’s Medicaid program. Community-based providers like health centers cannot afford the increases in uncompensated care that come with these policy changes. NH’s Medicaid Program is the backbone of the safety-net health care system. We will continue to work with our elected officials to increase access to care and address the uncompensated care burden facing NH’s safety-net providers.”
About NH Medicaid Matters
NH Medicaid Matters is a coalition of 80+ organizations who believe that our state's Medicaid program is vital to a healthy, thriving New Hampshire. We are committed to protecting this critical source of essential health insurance for hundreds of thousands of Granite Staters. Learn more at NHNeedsMedicaid.com.​
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