State asks county to 'donate' money

LACONIA — The Belknap County Legislative Delegation heard a request Friday morning from Jeffrey Meyers, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, for its cooperation in ensuring that a five-year, $150 million program will continue to receive $10 million a year in federal matching funds.

Meyers said the program, which runs through 2020, is coordinated by the Community Health Services Network LLC, and has more than 350 service providers statewide who provide mental health and substance abuse services through integrated delivery networks, also known as IDNs.

The state obtained a waiver in 2016, which allowed it to use Medicaid money for drug treatment programs delivered by the IDNs.

The waiver was good for five years with the $30 million per year costs paid for with $10 million from the state’s general fund, $10 million from services county nursing homes provide for which they have not been previously reimbursed, and a $10 million match from the federal government.

Meyers said that a change in the way the federal government calculates the matching fund component now requires that the money go directly to the counties, rather than to the state.

He asked that the county make a voluntary contribution to the state from the money it receives so that the state can get the federal match. The county will be able to retain 1 percent for administrative costs.

Meyers said Stafford County has already agreed to make a contribution even though the full dollar amount won’t be known until late June. He said the voluntary contributions will only be sought through 2020, when the waiver expires.

He said he is making the same request of all 10 counties and will return next month with final figures on the cost allocations of the program.

Belknap County is part of the Central and Winnipesaukee public health networks, one of seven IDNs in the state.