Governor Hassan's Statement on Signing Bipartisan Legislation Reflecting MET Agreement

Statement

Governor Maggie Hassan released the following statement after signing today SB 369, bipartisan legislation reflecting the Medicaid Enhancement Tax (MET) agreement with 25 New Hampshire hospitals:

"In order to protect the state's budget and ensure the health and well-being of Granite Staters, we have worked since I took office with legislators from both parties, hospitals and other stakeholders to overcome the difficulties created by changes in the use of Medicaid Enhancement Tax revenues enacted in 2011.

"As a result of that collaboration, we reached an agreement last month to settle 25 New Hampshire hospitals' outstanding challenges to: the constitutionality of the Medicaid Enhancement Tax, to claims that the hospitals had filed for refunds on their 2014 tax payments, and to Medicaid rate reductions made in previous years.

"I thank legislators from both parties, the participating hospitals and other stakeholders for working together to find a solution on this issue, demonstrating once again that in New Hampshire, unlike in Washington D.C., we work across party lines to solve problems in order to keep our economy moving forward and to protect priorities that are critical to our people. This bipartisan legislation to implement this agreement is a critical step that will help provide stability to our budget while also ensuring that we can continue to provide critical health services to our people, and I am proud to sign SB 369 into law."

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