AARP Volunteer Advocates Testify at Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee Hearing on the Budget

AARP New Hampshire volunteer advocates Karen Ulmer Dorsch and Mary Roberge offered this testimony at Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee Hearing in Concord.

AARP New Hampshire supports increasing spending for home- and community-based services in the Choices for Independence program.  This is a good first step to providing adequate funding to the long-term care system in New Hampshire, which continues to suffer from perennially inadequate funding even though such funding

• Honors the placement preference of Granite Staters and
• Is more cost-effective than nursing home care for those who don’t require such intense care

According to the AARP Public Policy Institute study – Across the States – which was released recently, New Hampshire ranks #50 in the amount of Medicaid spending for Older People and Adults with Physical Disabilities for home- and community-based services.  In fact, the data showed New Hampshire falling further behind rather than getting better.  The New Hampshire profile from that report is included in your packets.

We are requesting that funds that were included in the Department of Health and Human Services budget request for the Choices for Independence Program be included in the budget.  These funds were reduced in the House budget in order to stay within the county cap.  We are requesting that general funds be included in the budget to do this, instead of raising the cap.

In addition, we support SB308 which provides support to the broader Medicaid provider network, as well as Choices for Independence and nursing homes.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and thank you for all that work that you do.