Committee Summary for House Commerce and Consumer Affairs (05/07/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
SB47 00:03:14.560 - 9:00:40 AM	Executive Session	requiring certain health insurance policies of a birth mother to provide coverage for a newly born child from the moment of birth.	Birdsell, Regina(R)[C+]2024
SB121 1945H 00:08:01.280 - 9:05:27 AM	Executive Session	requiring notice to the insurance department of the discontinuance of certain types of insurance, including Medicare Advantage Plans.	Avard, Kevin(R)[C+]2024
SB124 00:14:16.839 - 9:11:42 AM	Executive Session	relative to continuing care retirement communities.	Ricciardi, Denise(R)[C-]2024
SB247 00:19:15.880 - 9:16:41 AM	Executive Session	prohibiting network exclusion for pharmacies that refuse to dispense a prescription of the PBM reimbursement that is below the pharmacy's acquisition cost.	Rochefort, David(R)

SB47: Committee Chair Information Only00:03:14.560 - 9:00:40 AM; The chair opened the session and confirmed there were no amendments to Senate Bill 47. They asked if anyone in the room had issues with the bill and noted that only department representatives supported it, implying general opposition from others present. The chair then proceeded to call for a vote on the bill.
SB47: Committee Members Vote00:06:55.880 - 9:04:21 AM; The committee members voted on Senate Bill 47. A motion to pass was made and seconded, followed by a vote in favor by six members.
SB121 1945H: Jennifer Smith, New Hampshire Insurance Department Information Only00:08:01.280 - 9:05:27 AM; Jennifer Smith explained amendment 1945H to Senate Bill 121, which clarifies notification requirements for Medicare Advantage plans to align with federal requirements, reducing the notice period from 120 to 90 days and removing a specific federal CFR citation to avoid confusion.
SB121 1945H: Unnamed Speaker Information Only00:10:14.160 - 9:07:40 AM; The speaker shared a personal experience with a Medicare Advantage plan pulling out of the state, highlighting the stress and disruption caused to individuals who must then find a new plan. They supported the amendment's intent to provide a 90-day notice to the insurance department, which would help inform affected individuals.
SB121 1945H: Committee Members Vote00:12:33.639 - 9:09:59 AM; The committee discussed and voted on amendment 1945H to Senate Bill 121. The amendment was passed with seven votes in favor, and subsequently, the bill as amended was also passed with seven votes in favor.
SB124: Steve Notinger, New Hampshire Insurance Department Information Only00:14:16.839 - 9:11:42 AM; Steve Notinger explained that Senate Bill 124 is a rewrite of a 1989 bill aimed at modernizing regulations for continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). The bill introduces an early warning system for financial troubles, a bill of rights for CCRC members, and clarifies issues related to entrance fees and resident removal.
SB124: Committee Chair Information Only00:18:04.919 - 9:15:30 AM; The chair confirmed the purpose of the bill as ensuring the solvency of CCRCs, protecting the investments of residents. A motion to pass the bill was made and seconded, followed by a unanimous vote in favor by seven members.
SB247: Representative Spear Information Only00:19:15.880 - 9:16:41 AM; Representative Spear discussed the challenges with Senate Bill 247, mentioning the need for amendments due to issues with the new entity, the pharmacy service administration organization, and its inclusion under the consumer protection act. They moved to retain the bill for further work.
SB247: Committee Members Vote00:21:25.760 - 9:18:51 AM; The committee discussed retaining Senate Bill 247 for further amendments. A motion to retain was made and seconded, and the committee voted unanimously to retain the bill, with plans to revisit it in September and have it ready for the House floor by January.
SB247: Committee Members Information Only00:22:26.200 - 9:19:52 AM; The committee discussed the need to address the issue of pool risks and the current legislation, SB247. There was a consensus to pass a bill to address the problem, but not necessarily the current bill under RSA 5, which is managed by the Secretary of State's office. The committee considered moving the oversight to the insurance department, believing it to be more suitable for handling such matters. A decision was made to draft an amendment for the following week to reflect this change, with a straw vote showing strong support for the amendment.
SB247: Representative Herbert Information Only00:29:24.880 - 9:26:50 AM; Representative Herbert raised concerns about ongoing bankruptcies and questioned how the proposed change to the insurance department would prevent further insolvencies. The response was that the change would help ensure solvency without resorting to bankruptcy, emphasizing the insurance department's authority to intervene and maintain solvency.
SB247: Representative Miles Oppose00:30:31.760 - 9:27:57 AM; Representative Miles opposed moving the oversight to the insurance department, arguing that the actuaries from the Secretary of State's office identified the problem, not the insurance department. He believed that the Secretary of State's office should continue to handle the oversight and suggested passing the bill as is.
SB247: Representative Sheres Oppose00:31:18.200 - 9:28:44 AM; Representative Sheres supported keeping the oversight with the Secretary of State's office, believing it to be more appropriate for the task.
SB247: Dave Support00:32:16.799 - 9:29:42 AM; Dave expressed concerns about the operations of pool risk organizations, noting that one had gone insolvent and was under receivership. He supported the bill's intent to set guardrails to ensure solvency and mentioned an amendment proposed at a previous hearing. He emphasized the importance of protecting taxpayers and employees from the financial burdens of insolvency.
SB247: Secretary Scanland Information Only00:33:34.799 - 9:31:00 AM; Secretary Scanland provided detailed insights into the operations and issues of pool risk organizations, particularly Health Trust. He explained the historical context of why these organizations were not initially regulated by the insurance department and discussed the current financial troubles, including the need for higher reserves to prevent insolvency. He supported the idea of moving oversight to the insurance department, which has a long history of dealing with solvency issues, and mentioned the proposed amendment for the following week.
SB247: Representative Theresa Information Only00:49:17.440 - 9:46:43 AM; Representative Theresa sought clarification on why the insurance department would be better suited for oversight and whether they had systems in place for such monitoring. She also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest if the insurance department were to manage the risk pools.
SB247: Representative Cherasa Support00:51:34.319 - 9:49:00 AM; Representative Cherasa supported moving the oversight to the insurance department, arguing that it is essentially health insurance and should be regulated accordingly. He believed the insurance department's existing systems and expertise would be more effective in handling the oversight.
SB247: Representative Spears Information Only01:10:27.400 - 10:07:53 AM; Representative Spears questioned the proposed reserve levels in the bill, noting that Health Trust believed they needed higher reserves than what was suggested. He asked for data supporting the lower reserve levels and expressed concerns about the rigidity of fixed numbers in the legislation.

Hunt, John(Chairman)(R)[B+]2024	Post, Lisa(Clerk)(R)[A]2024	Potucek, John(V Chairman)(R)[A]2024
Salvi, Santosh(D)	Chourasia, Manoj(D)	Ammon, Keith(R)[A+]2024
Herbert, Christopher(D)[F]2024	Osborne, Jason(R)[A]2024	Thackston, Dick(R)[B]2024
Walsh, Lilli(R)[B]2024	Porcelli, Susan(R)[A-]2024	Spier, Carry(D)[CT]2024
Burroughs, Anita(D)[CT]2024	Gibbs, Merryl(D)[CT]2024	McAleer, Chris(D)[CT]2024
Sullivan, Jared(D)[D+]2024	Miles, Julie(R)	Presa, Adam(R)