New Hampshire Health Insurance
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, many New Hampshire residents will enjoy new options for obtaining affordable health insurance starting in 2014. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, in 2012 Gov. John Lynch announced the state would not implement its own exchange — it would form a “partnership marketplace” with the federal government. New Hampshire decided in March 2014 to expand Medicaid.
Residents may still seek New Hampshire health insurance options by registering and applying at HealthCare.gov. This is the federal health insurance marketplace, and residents can use this site to apply for coverage and find out if family members qualify for financial assistance.
Financial assistance might come in the form of premium subsidies for private marketplace plans, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, called CHIP. The state also maintains a resource site at CoveringNewHampshire.org.
Do you qualify for a subsidy in New Hampshire?
Eligibility for financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act depends upon income, family size and access to other affordable medical plans. People who can take advantage of qualified, employee-sponsored health insurance or another type of public plan are generally not eligible. Some New Hampshire residents may purchase private health insurance on HealthCare.gov even if they are not eligible for subsidies. Qualified plans must cover 10 mandated benefits, and insurers are not allowed to discriminate against individuals with pre-existing medical conditions.
This outlines the types of state and federal financial assistance available to New Hampshire residents.
- Because of the Affordable Care Act, people with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level may qualify for a subsidy to offset their premium if they don’t have access to another affordable medical plan. A family of four with income between $23,550 and $94,200 and between $11,490 and $45,960 for an individual may qualify.
- New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion will begin in July 2014. Nonelderly adults with incomes at or below 138 percent of the poverty level – $32,913 for a family of four – now may qualify for Medicaid.
- Children whose families have incomes of up to 323 percent of the federal poverty level (about $77,000 for a family of four) are now eligible for Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits.
New Hampshire marketplace health insurance providers
According to the New Hampshire Insurance Department, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the only provider offering qualified medical plans on the marketplace for residents of the state.
New Hampshire health and coverage statistics
New Hampshire population (2013): 1,323,459
Population 65 and older (2012): 14.7 percent
Life expectancy (2010): 80.3 years
Number of Medicaid beneficiaries (2012): 109,600
Number of Medicare beneficiaries (2012): 191,000
Estimated number of uninsured residents (2012): 160,100
Overall state health ranking: 5
Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, America’s Health Rankings 2014 report.
New Hampshire health insurance resources
Covering New Hampshire (New Hampshire’s health insurance marketplace):http://www.coveringnewhampshire.org/
New Hampshire Department for Health and Human Services: http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/index.htm
New Hampshire Insurance Department:http://www.nh.gov/insurance/
New Hampshire Medicaid:http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ombp/medicaid/
New Hampshire CHIP: http://www.benefits.gov/benefits/benefit-details/1608
New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services: http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/beas/
Kaiser Family Foundation: http://kff.org/tag/new-hampshire/
