New Report Sounds Alarm on New Hampshire Health Care Crisis as Coverage Losses and Costs Mount

Edward D. Shanshala II, CEO of Ammonoosuc Community Health Services and Stefany Shaheen, health care entrepreneur and chronic-disease advocate, joined Protect Our Care New Hampshire to discuss a new report detailing the impact of federal health care cuts, rising costs and coverage losses on New Hampshire patients, families and health care providers. The report estimates that 20,374 Granite Staters have lost Medicaid, CHIP or Affordable Care Act coverage, including 15,506 people who lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage and 4,868 who dropped ACA coverage following premium increases. Granite Staters who had relied on enhanced ACA tax credits saw premiums increase by an average of 116 percent this year. The report also projects significant pressure on New Hampshire's health care system, including a $19 million funding loss for hospitals and clinics, a 13.7 percent increase in uncompensated care demand, and $1.8 billion in hospital losses over the next decade associated with Medicaid reductions.