There’s been a lot of debate about liberty this legislative session. But one never knows how the ideal will emerge — or in what legislation.
Case in point: A proposed law about residential fire sprinklers provides an intriguing confluence between personal liberty, public safety and local control. When the N.H. House votes later today on Senate Bill 91, it will offer one perspective on the cost of liberty.
A new proposal has emerged to settle much (but far from all) of the legal and political controversy over New Hampshire’s unique medical malpractice insurance fund. Primarily, it would settle the matter of who has a right to the extra money in the fund.
Senate Bill 170 first forbids the state from claiming any surplus funds from the Joint Underwriting Association — either through legislation or taxation. It also orders that any “excess surplus” funds be distributed to policyholders. That excess measures at least $110 million, according to the bill. And that $110 million is at the core of the two-year controversy.
A House committee will hold a public hearing on SB 170 Tuesday.
Should New Hampshire fight last year’s federal health care reform?
Most state senators and representatives think so. The N.H. House and Senate have both passed bills to get state Attorney General Michael Delaney to join a multi-state lawsuit fighting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law in March 2010. So far, more than two dozen other states have joined the lawsuit, which challenges the constitutionality of the federal law.
The difference between the House and Senate’s persuasive approaches is the difference between “must” and “should.”
Before medical malpractice lawsuits go to court in New Hampshire, they get screened. The idea is to weed out frivolous claims and save judicial resources for legitimate cases.
These medical screening panels were established in the Granite State in 2005, based on a similar Maine law. They finally got rolling in 2007 after a challenge to the program’s constitutionality was defeated in court. They’re made up of a judge, a lawyer, and a clinician.
The question is: Are the screening panels working?
We continue highlighting some of the 34 bills and amendments scheduled for a session of the full Senate today.
The proposals include eliminating the state motor vehicle registration surcharge, repealing boating speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee, and establishing a managed care platform for the state’s Medicaid program.
Enough is enough. That appears to be the message of a Senate proposal, which, if enacted, finally could settle a score between New Hampshire and a medical malpractice insurance fund. The two-year-old controversy is about whether the state can claim surplus funds held by the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association (JUA).
The Senate Executive Departments and Administration Committee will hold a public hearing Thursday on Senate Bill 170, sponsored by Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry). The bill would prohibit the state from using any JUA funds and allow the organization to distribute surplus funds back to shareholders — medical providers who buy their malpractice insurance policies through the JUA.
The fight about health care and insurance continues, and it’s not just about federal reforms — although that certainly takes a front seat in the upcoming legislative agenda. Stopping federal health care reform is the goal of at least seven health care-related bills that will be considered when New Hampshire’s 2011 legislative session opens Jan. 5.
Today, we continue our survey of newly proposed laws with a snapshot look at the health care bills and some particular developments to keep an eye on.
The commission studying health care costs will greet two new members and hear from New Hampshire’s hospitals when it meets for its third regular meeting today. The Commission on Health Care Cost Containment stemmed from Senate Bill 505, which passed earlier this year. Members are charged with creating a first-of-its-kind study of general health care [...]
After a rocky start, the commission to study health care costs in New Hampshire will hold its first regular meeting on Tuesday.
Understanding the impact of health care economics is important given its growing influence across the economy. According to the N.H. Center for Public Policy Studies, personal health care costs made up 18 percent of the state economy in 2009. That’s double the amount from 1989, and it could grow to 25 percent or more in another 20 years.
With the state budget still unbalanced, New Hampshire’s Legislature will not likely wrap up this spring’s session on June 2, as scheduled.
The House and Senate teams working on the budget agreed on how to fix $270 million of a nearly $300 million shortfall, but neither is budging on the final $30 million. Gov. John Lynch has said he’ll keep lawmakers working until the job is done.
In the meantime, several bills relating to health insurance, family law and the criminal justice system have already made it through the Committee of Conference process and await Lynch’s signature.
