[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6376733,"mediaKeyId","2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34","parentId",2139837,"title","Committee hears sharply divided testimony on bill requiring statewide reporting of abortion statistics; DHHS warns of privacy and fiscal costs","audioSeconds",781,"startMs",5208000,"endMs",5989000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34&start=5208&end=5989","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34/thumbnail_5208000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6376733/New-Hampshire/Committee-hears-sharply-divided-testimony-on-bill-requiring-statewide-reporting-of-abortion-statistics-DHHS-warns-of-privacy-and-fiscal-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6376733-4c9440373901d3c2fca069d465e9528d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125639&Signature=QWzzUOoycrjT6wOJIEZ5YMlAOgMgERm5keaWV9uXpyrHzAMzmYN6MsWXudpzDf93wqbhqpu12p47VToeTa2CQD8KI1a5h253vzUb--wfWHbycjXFs44ZOCL2Aj-TSFwG21rKZmgCw1JGKDPk1mIv7mD3gIajplhVLAkbyAMLfUSZGuY7vJayBZLSrCsm9BLYuKjeOF9NKAeqX1ynD81w4gq4ShH2uTOhhhV-LHBO3eupC87uumi5ySbdcAAdg8tcWdIUBrPPPjFHyfTmZmDLEx0kpA9VMyk2ky8M4IwbpVf5Y2iDyE2SzT1TMGdrmStH0jrup5yokh4PitOAnJM6Mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Senate","date","2025-01-22T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Kevin Abarth introduced Senate Bill 36 as a measure to require state reporting of anonymized abortion statistics, saying New Hampshire is one of a small number of states that does not collect such data and arguing better statistics are needed for policymaking.

Patricia Tilly, associate commissioner at the Department of Health and Human Services, told the committee the bill would create a new reporting system that the department does not now have authority or a HIPAA‑compliant technical platform to operate. Tilly said the bill as drafted appears to expand reporting from late-term procedures in RSA 329 to all terminations and would require more detailed elements — including dates and locations — that, under HIPAA rules, are treated as identifiers and therefore require secure handling.

Why it matters: Supporters say standardized data would inform public-health work and clarify the scale and methods of abortion care in New Hampshire; opponents and DHHS warned that collecting and storing dates, places and narrow gestational ages in a small state could make re‑identification possible and might expose patients and providers to legal and security risks.

Major testimony and technical points

- Department capacity and cost: Patricia Tilly said DHHS lacks the statutory authority and the system to collect the data as drafted. The department estimated one-time development costs of about $950,000 for a HIPAA-compliant electronic reporting system (using a Salesforce platform), plus roughly $250,000 for a verification connection to the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, and additional staffing needs (one full-time data/statistics position and a part-time systems/troubleshooting position).

- Privacy and safety concerns: Providers and privacy advocates — including Dartmouth Health, Planned Parenthood Northern New England (PPNNE), the ACLU of New Hampshire and the Levering Health Center — urged strong anonymization, aggregation and limits on the specific elements collected and published. Witnesses stressed the risk that date, place and gestational-age data together could identify individuals or expose providers to cross‑jurisdictional legal requests in an environment where other states are seeking out-of-state records.

- Support for data but with protections: Some witnesses, including representatives of New Futures and New Hampshire Right to Life, said statewide statistics are necessary for public-health surveillance and program evaluation; Right to Life also urged inclusion of post‑abortion complications in reporting and a penalty for nonreporting. Several providers said they already submit aggregate data to national partners such as the Guttmacher Institute and the National Abortion Federation and asked that any state reporting standard mirror the aggregate formats those organizations use.

Committee action and next steps

- Fiscal note request: Committee members voted in committee to request a fiscal note from the Legislature’s budget office on SB 36 so that the department’s development- and staffing‑cost estimates could be formalized for the record.

Ending

Senators recessed the hearing after a broad set of public-health and privacy arguments. Witnesses on both sides asked for follow-up work on language that would preserve patient and provider privacy while providing useful, non‑identifiable statistics for policymakers and the public.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Health and Human Services (01/22/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","Senator Kevin Abarth introduced Senate Bill 36 to require the Department of Health and Human Services to collect anonymized data on all terminated pregnancies; department officials and providers warned about privacy, technical and fiscal issues.","taxTitle","Health and Human Services, Senate , Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",29510,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6376738,"Committee hears bill to codify newborn coverage under parents’ insurance; insurance department and carriers discuss details",5942,3711000,9653000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34&start=3711&end=9653","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34/thumbnail_3711000.jpg","/articles/6376738/New-Hampshire/Committee-hears-bill-to-codify-newborn-coverage-under-parents-insurance-insurance-department-and-carriers-discuss-details","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6376738-e409ba7b50cf8ed59fcb91472d22d682/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125639&Signature=BYzsar-CgC3TC61etLvtTqpuuEw~l-u13lDXQ4hYoAKyYW8kpheZJ3UzoUIG-E7cwws1tmvrh~oUTJrn1iR2WeAONNjf0Abg1YPyw8lg~~ht0JzqC-WrSnf~EFsK~KaJ9gB6f66enRwmqa0w6EFncyUr4D2Nkj~9t0BliPrs1jUcip7VZSZhENGwpXtEKqg19xmfzg~LUgGv6dcVf3I~UOkeQpoi3pFSpmJIAZZ~j98Vh3aruuEMD8o8~TY-0G7uHGbPbk83QhvMcZezzKICcmxVLduMbvPS7thG-ZpSPAepGWNx6XIZxGl2E1E8VuNbacMFQwrNPWqaQ9aQN90lSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Regina Bart, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 47, asked the committee to consider language that would put current Insurance Department guidance into statute and preserve automatic coverage for newborns for the first 31 days of life under a parent’s insurance policy.

Michelle Heaton, director of life and health at the New Hampshire Insurance Department, told the committee the proposed text is intended to codify longstanding practice. “It is an insurance mandate that requires insurance carriers to provide coverage to newborn children from the moment of birth through the first 31 days of life,” Heaton said, and she added the clarification is intended to avoid additional cost-sharing or separate premium charges during that initial period.

Why it matters: The statute -- enacted in 1975 -- was designed to ensure a newborn could not be left temporarily uninsured because coverage cannot be purchased before birth. The bill would place interpretive guidance from prior Insurance Department bulletins into statute so providers, carriers and families have an explicit legal reference.

Key points from testimony

- Statutory intent and guidance: Heaton told the committee bulletins issued by the department (including one in 2017 and another this year) explained how carriers should treat hospital episode billing, cost-sharing and accumulators for the newborn’s first 31 days; the bill would codify that practice.

- Cost-sharing and premiums: The Insurance Department witness said the goal is to prevent duplicate cost-sharing for a single hospital episode for mother and newborn, make clear that cost-sharing for newborn services should apply to parental accumulators during the 31‑day period, and specify that no new premium should be collected to cover the newborn during those 31 days.

- Carrier input and timing: Michelle Heaton said department staff shared the proposed text with carriers for comment and received no formal opposition when language was exchanged in the fall. Paula Rogers, representing AHIP (an association of health plans), said carriers generally understood the intentions but suggested clarifications about coordination of benefits and the bill’s effective date; she asked the committee to consider a typical January 1 effective date for carrier compliance.

Other witnesses

- Brianna Hinkle of New Futures said the nonprofit supports the bill’s goal of reducing burdens on families and ensuring coverage during the first month of life.

Committee action and next steps

- Committee amendment and committee vote: In executive session the committee amended the bill’s effective date to Jan. 1, 2026 and the committee voted “ought to pass as amended” by voice vote; senators did not record a roll-call tally during the hearing.

Ending

Lawmakers asked follow-up questions about split-parent coverage, how the statute applies to self-funded plans versus fully insured plans, and how claims administration treats complex newborn cases such as NICU stays. Insurance Department and carrier representatives told senators they would continue to coordinate language and implementation details with the committee and industry.","Senate Bill 47 would clarify RSA 415:22 to ensure newborns are covered from birth through 31 days under a parent’s policy without separate premium or additional cost-sharing. Insurance Department testimony indicates the bill codifies long-standing guidance; carriers and advocates discussed implementation details and effective date.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6376743,"Health and Human Services outlines roadmap, cites staffing gains and ‘Mission 0’ for psychiatric boarding",3375,345000,3720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34&start=345&end=3720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2139837-0ff30231949f04eea819665222bffb34/thumbnail_345000.jpg","/articles/6376743/New-Hampshire/Health-and-Human-Services-outlines-roadmap-cites-staffing-gains-and-Mission-0-for-psychiatric-boarding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6376743-ad4943ffed86c49544e1ba62f5f28b1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125639&Signature=eACALFvBA34HxYNRNnWa-M8zKeIPaA-pr9icPcoj12MedG13Goh1-aGqWKli56rcmqwnpkQdiGMF1SrPb0iqKGGw5KVZc0YRpm82Q2Pcb34XJQOArCj-RNRV6l14gUGEotxgQXWJJkOfr6ztlcHTW6BkqNfFXdllKv7n6RtcxVYGJMCiAIc-0oqarrnEPVoSVbZItJ4m3NDMcc-6QFSrMo-DsD6skgE0JPkKPmqSiowjcxDmTGi8dlxfP1-aDQ~FE~f07WdKF-xA0MHAVYQon~sY9UySmCNui3sAj1vqyDlgSymMQGh2a0kpEd5AE~UTTdieHSmmYvKqgaVChZ2m4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lori Weaver, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that the department is using a roadmap focused on “culture, community and customer service” to guide priorities including workforce retention, behavioral health and services for older adults.

The roadmap, Weaver said, is designed to prioritize who the department serves and how it works. “Our long game is pretty much what our vision statement says, optimal health and well-being for everyone,” Commissioner Weaver said, laying out a four-topic focus the department chose to discuss with the committee: eliminating emergency-department boarding for people needing inpatient psychiatric care (Mission 0); healthy mothers and babies; successful transitions for people after incarceration; and a system of care for healthy aging.

Why it matters: HHS accounts for a large share of the state budget and services. Weaver told senators that HHS comprises roughly one-quarter of state employees and receives about 53% of the state’s general-fund budget, and that progress on hiring and retention affects the department’s capacity to deliver services.

Key details

- Workforce and budget: Weaver said HHS has about 32,100 authorized positions and roughly 27,100 filled positions, and cited a legislative cap of 3,000 hires. She said the department’s vacancy rate fell from about 22% in 2022 to about 14.7% now after recruitment and retention efforts, including state-level hiring tools and pay increases that assisted retention.

- Mission 0 (behavioral health): Katya Fox, director of the Division for Behavioral Health, described Mission 0 as “a laser focus on achieving 0 individuals waiting in emergency departments around the state for inpatient psychiatric care.” Fox said the department has reduced wait times by expanding alternatives: certified community behavioral health clinics in Manchester and Nashua (with West Central Behavioral Health provisionally certified), mobile crisis services and community-based crisis stabilization centers in locations including Laconia, Plymouth and Derry. She also described “care traffic control,” a coordination effort led by New Hampshire Hospital to route adults to available designated receiving facilities (DRFs). Dartmouth is expected to add five DRF beds soon, and HCA’s acquisition of CMC includes a required 10-bed DRF expansion, Fox said.

- Transitions and housing: Fox said the department is working on step-up/step-down transitional beds and landlord incentives, and named Granite United Way and NFI North as partners that help match individuals leaving hospitals with landlords and provide case management and damage or vacancy protections to landlords.

- Healthy mothers and babies: Henry Littman, state Medicaid director, described efforts to increase early prenatal and postpartum care and noted that Medicaid births account for about a quarter of births but for more than half of maternal deaths in New Hampshire; he cited the 2023 change extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months as important to addressing behavioral-health–related maternal deaths. Littman also outlined a Medicaid-funded reentry benefit (an 1115 waiver feature) allowing some services to be provided to sentenced individuals up to 45 days pre-release, and a federally required youth reentry benefit providing pre-release screenings and 30 days of intensive case management following release.

- System of care for healthy aging: Melissa Hardy, division director for long-term supports and services, reviewed work from HB 2 (2023) including completion of a rate study for the Choices for Independence waiver, financial-eligibility changes (spousal impoverishment rules, an increased resource disregard to $7,000 and a shortened Medicaid look-back from five years to three in routine cases), expansion of who may be paid as a personal care provider, investments in Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ServiceLinks), and IT improvements to the NH Easy portal. Hardy said the department plans a public-facing dashboard to show home- and community-based services and aims to publish the system-of-care plan and an online service portal by June of next year.

Department operations and next steps

Associate Commissioner Andrea (identified in testimony as an associate commissioner) described customer-service initiatives aimed at reducing administrative burden for community providers, improving contracting and payment processes and expanding provider training and coordination with the nonprofit sector.

The department told senators it would provide the roadmap and work with the committee on questions about regional bed availability, transitional-housing placements, and the mechanics of landlord incentives.

Ending

Committee members asked follow-up questions about recruitment tools, salary increases, regional placement for DRF beds, landlord-incentive specifics and IT and staffing needs for new programs. Weaver and division directors said they would continue to coordinate with hospitals, providers and the committee as the department refines budget requests and implements the roadmap.","Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver briefed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on the agency’s roadmap, workforce changes, behavioral health strategies (including “Mission 0” to eliminate psychiatric boarding in emergency departments) and initiatives for healthy aging, reentry and customer service.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears sharply divided testimony on bill requiring statewide reporting of abortion statistics; DHHS warns of privacy and fiscal costs

Committee hears bill to codify newborn coverage under parents’ insurance; insurance department and carriers discuss details

Health and Human Services outlines roadmap, cites staffing gains and ‘Mission 0’ for psychiatric boarding