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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — State Senate leaders announced a bipartisan deal Thursday to expand Medicaid to an estimated 49,000 poor New Hampshire adults by using federal funds to pay for private insurance.

Senate President Chuck Morse, a Salem Republican, and Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen of Concord announced the agreement in a presentation before the chamber's Rules Committee. The committee voted unanimously to allow their bill's introduction. They said they expect Gov. Maggie Hassan to support the agreement.

"The bipartisan nature of this agreement shows what can happen when we work together to focus on the issues critical to the well-being of our state," said Morse.

Larsen said the agreement is the culmination of private negotiations since efforts to expand Medicaid failed during a special session in November.

"At the end of the day, this is about expanding coverage for tens of thousands of mostly working, low-income citizens, supporting our providers, helping our state budget, and helping our economy. Our bill will do all of these things," said Larsen.

Morse and Larsen said the agreement's framework, which will be put into legislation next week, would expand access to private health insurance by using an existing state program that subsidizes employer-based insurance and by buying private coverage through the federal marketplace.

Morse said the key was setting a deadline for federal approval of using Medicaid funds to fund private insurance by June 30, 2015.

If New Hampshire were to expand the program, the federal government would pick up the full cost for the first three years and 90 percent over the long haul. New Hampshire's health care providers would share in an estimated $2.4 billion over seven years.

The bipartisan agreement would end when federal funding drops below 100 percent in three years unless the Legislature voted to continue it.

New Hampshire is one of a small group of states that has not decided whether to expand Medicaid.

New Hampshire's current Medicaid program covers low-income children, parents with nondisabled children under 18, pregnant women, senior citizens and people with disabilities. The expansion would add anyone under age 65 who earns up to 138 percent of federal poverty guidelines, which is about $15,856 for a single adult. http://hosted2.ap.org/NHWLV/43dda9ff6c4347c09d7ecdb8d0d1cdea/Article_2
014-02-06-Medicaid%20Expansion/id-92c773035bbe41bda1300062779605d1

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