State Coverage Initiatives: State Profile: New Hampshire

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Group	Income Eligibility
Children	300% FPL
Pregnant Women	185% FPL
Parents	51% FPL
SSI Disabled (non-elderly)	76% FPL

Reinsurance

In 2005, New Hampshire passed legislation (SC 125) establishing the New Hampshire Reinsurance Pool by January 1, 2006. The legislation requires all health insurance carriers become members of the reinsurance pool. The reinsurance pool board has developed a standard benefit package for small employers that on which reinsurance premiums are based. Any insurer may purchase reinsurance from the pool, with a $5,000 deductible per covered life. The choice to reinsure is determined by individual carriers, but if pool expenses exceed premiums, all member carriers will be assessed proportionally on the number of lives they cover.

High-Risk Pool

The New Hampshire High-Risk Insurance Pool became operational in 2002. The pool is financed through participant premiums, as well as assessments of insurance plans based on a "per covered lives" basis. Premium caps for the pool are not less than 125 percent and not higher than 150 percent of the standard risk rate for comparable coverage. At the end of 2005, just over 630 persons were enrolled in the pool.

Dependent Coverage

Enacted legislation in 2007 (House Bill 790) allows unmarried New Hampshire young adults to remain eligible for insurance until the age of 26 regardless of educational status.


	Notes and Sources

Information presented in the profile was summarized in December 2006 from a review of state Web sites and reports, and through contacts with state officials. In most cases the profiles were reviewed by state officials; however, it is possible that states have implemented strategies that are not reflected in this profile.

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¹ This overview provides a general description of state coverage levels under their Medicaid and SCHIP programs, including coverage through waivers, as of October 2006. Health Management Associates researched eligibility information from state web sites, data from state reports, and verified through contacts with state officials during the fall of 2006. This does not reflect the specific eligibility categories or requirements. This is not intended to be a substitute for eligibility information provided by each state. Individuals interested in applying for these programs should contact the state directly for specific eligibility requirements.

² Urban Institute and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured estimates based on the Census Bureau's March 2005 and 2006 Current Population Survey.

³ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends. 2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey-Insurance Component.