CONCORD - House Republican Leader Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett, offered the following reaction to the defeat of HB271, which would have prohibited New Hampshire from accepting expanded Medicaid. The bill was defeated today by a vote of 206-155.

"There is no such thing as free money," Chandler said. "Every federal dollar we would receive for Medicaid expansion would come out the pockets of hard-working Americans for this government expansion. As we know from past experience, the federal government cannot be trusted to uphold their end of the bargain. It's very possible that federal funding levels will drop, leaving New Hampshire taxpayers on the hook for possibly hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

"Once New Hampshire enters into such a program, we cannot pull back coverage, even if it becomes unaffordable. We also know implementation of expanded Medicaid will involve tens of millions of dollars in direct costs to the state. Expanded Medicaid undermines New Hampshire's current and future fiscal health. HB271 would have prevented putting our state in this precarious situation."