NH CARES
Network for Responsible Budgeting
The Conference Committee on the Budget held an unprecedented all-night meeting on Wednesday night (attended to the end, of course, by a strong CARES delegation), but the Senate was unable to agree or respond to a final package compromise offered at sunrise. The meeting had to be recessed to 4 PM (Thursday 6/21). The committee was then able to reach a tentative agreement that we expect will be quickly finalized and approved at the Committee’s meeting at noon tomorrow. There are still some unresolved issues (the counties have still not agreed to extend their participation in elder and child services for a year), but we are optimistic this budget will hold.
There were few major changes from the Senate version. The good news is we were able to hold on to almost all the Senate improvements to the DHHS safety net budget and to get partial restorations on the handful of real cuts the Senate made to the House budget. (For reference, see “Comparison of the Senate and House FY08-09 Budgets” under the “DHHS Summaries” section of the CARES Tab at www.drcnh.org which we e-mailed last week.) Unfortunately, we were unable to succeed in getting rates increases, starting with the CARES #1 priority of increasing rates from 1% to 2% for FY 2009.
One very significant structural change that the Committee adopted from the Senate budget was the change in the shares the counties and DHHS pay for elder and child services. Starting in FY 09 (July 1, 2008), the counties will pay the full non-federal share (up to a cap) for Medicaid nursing home and home nursing services for their residents in exchange for paying no costs for DCYF-supported children and residents with permanent disabilities (APTD and OAA). Currently, they pay 50% of the nonfederal share for each. CARES supports this change because we feel it will cut administrative costs for both the counties and DHHS and will allow them to focus more on improving the well-being of our elders, children, and people with disabilities and less on arguing over bills.
Summary of Budget June 21 Committee of Conference Agreement
A. Senate Improvements Adopted (in General Funds)
1. OMBP Child Health Program (SCHIP), PAU 5-1-2-1-3 - $1m
2. OMBP Specialty Pediatric Hospital Services, PAU 5-1-2-1-3 - $1.6m
3. DCYF Family Resource Centers, PAU 5-1-6-9-5 - $240,000
4. BEAS Private Elder Case Management, PAU 5-1-8-4-1 - $136,000
5. BEAS Crotched Mtn. Rehab Ctr. & Cedarcrest Child Ctr. Rates
PAU 5-1-8-4-1 - $700,000
B. Senate #1 Cuts Reduced
1. BEAS Community Services for Elders (SSBG) PAU 5-1-8-3-2 - The $234,000
Senate GF cut for FY 09 was eliminated and the income limit for eligibility
for these services, (meals, visiting, transportation) will be increased
from $900 per month to $1,116 on July 1, 2008.
2. BDS Developmental Services Waiting List, PAU 5-1-10-1-93 - The Senate
cut of $1.3m in Total Funds was cut in half adding $664,000 to funds
to reduce the wait list.
3. DPH Governors’ Commission on Alcohol and Drug Treatment & Prevention,
PAU 5-1-5-3-1-98&99 - The Senate cut of $118,000 for FY 09 was
eliminated by funding the Smart Moves Program with General Funds.
C. Senate #4 Lower Cost Projections for Drugs
New data suggested that the Senate’s $10m lower projection for
General Fund costs ($20m total funds) for OMBP Medicare Part D Drugs
(PAU 5-1-2-1-3-93) for non-elders covered by Medicaid was not correct
and the House projections were more accurate. As a result, the Committee
added $5m in General Funds ($10m total) to close the gap – but
this still leaves a gap of $5m in GF.
