It is of no surprise to anyone that across the country there are dramatic changes in how health care is delivered. New Hampshire has had a long and distinguished history of community-based care.…
Rep. Marjorie Smith (D - Straf 6)It is of no surprise to anyone that across the country there are dramatic changes in how health care is delivered. New Hampshire has had a long and distinguished history of community-based care. Many of our outstanding hospitals were started with the vision and financial and volunteer support from our communities. We have watched many of those hospitals grow as the communities grew and the services grew more complex. The legislature, in its wisdom, created in the Department of Justice the Office of Charitable Trusts that, among myriad responsibilities, must guarantee that hospital mergers and acquisitions must be in the best interest of the charitable trust and the community that it serves. That language was written in a somewhat simpler time. The enormity of some of these mergers exceeds the biennial budget of the state. People of good faith have understood that implicit in existing law is that communities' access to quality and affordable health care must be protected and health care today includes both physical and mental health care services. The House, in amending HB 552 acknowledged the size of some of these mergers, and specified that the state review should focus not only on the community where the hospitals are based, but also on the state. The senate chose to change that language and talk about community and communities, plural. The Judiciary Committee agrees with the senate change. The senate also extended the effective date, understanding that some mergers, including one enormous merger affecting my home community, are already underway. Those of you who were privileged to observe the supreme court argument held in the House Chamber this last week have heightened awareness that words matter. Therefore, rather than rely on implicit understanding, HB 522 makes explicit that when evaluating proposed changes in governance of the hospitals, the state must look at how the new entities would meet the physical and mental health of the communities that would be affected and that the Office of Charitable Trusts has the authority to work with the Departments of Health and Human Services and the Insurance in protecting the needs of today's citizens and honoring the intentions of those who donated their time and their money to create the best possible health delivery systems. The Judiciary Committee asks you to support the motion of concurrence. Thank you, Madam Speaker.