What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is health insurance for older adults in nursing homes, low-income children and families, pregnant women, veterans, and people with disabilities. Many families with Medicaid make very low incomes — making less than around $30,000 a year for a family of three. These are people who don’t get insurance from their job, and can’t afford to pay out of pocket for medical care or get private insurance. They are moms with young children, caregivers, delivery people, waitstaff — even some healthcare workers have coverage through Medicaid.
​
Medicaid helps provide for everything from routine checkups and heart surgeries to cancer treatments and at-home nursing care. It covers prescriptions, mental health services, emergency care, dental and vision services, and substance use treatment. The focus on prevention, well-being, and care coordination — getting Granite Staters the care they need to get healthy, stay healthy, and live in our communities — has translated into better care and lower costs. As a result, it helps keep hospital doors open in our small rural communities, providing access to lifesaving care, creating good-paying jobs, and helping make our state healthier and more prosperous.
​​​
NH Medicaid has several important programs that help our residents access affordable health care.
Health Care for Children
Children rely on Medicaid for a healthy start. In New Hampshire, Medicaid helps 1 in 4 kids get early screening and detection services so that developmental delays, behavioral issues, and health challenges like asthma can be managed. These early interventions can significantly improve long-term health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs later in life.
Health Care for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
Medicaid helps families by covering long-term health care for older adults, including nursing and home care, and people with disabilities, who often rely on fixed incomes.
​
One of our Medicaid programs, the Choices for Independence (CFI) Waiver program, provides services that allow older adults and people with disabilities to remain living in their own homes and communities, rather than in institutional settings like nursing homes. The CFI waiver provides a range of home and community-based services (HCBS), which aim to maintain independence, improve quality of life, and support individuals in managing their daily activities.
These Medicaid programs help support our state's Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) system.
Medicaid Expansion
The Granite Advantage Health Care Program, more commonly known as Medicaid expansion, is a unique New Hampshire solution that ensures all Granite Staters have access to health insurance. It is available to adults aged 19 to 64 who earn $20,815 or less per year (or $42,760 or less for a family of four). By closing the coverage gap, Medicaid expansion removes barriers to accessing the affordable health care people need.​