CONCORD, NH – On April 15th, Governor Kelly Ayotte released the following statement in response to the New Hampshire Hospital Association, Dartmouth Health, and Concord Hospital suing the State of New Hampshire:

"The State has proposed a commonsense solution that prioritizes patients and protects funding for critical access hospitals. Unfortunately, the plaintiffs are only focused on driving more money to billion-dollar corporations and have resorted to playing political games and misleading the public. They should return to the table and come to an agreement that benefits all Granite Staters."

The Facts:

- In 2024, Governor Sununu adjusted the State's Medicaid Enhancement Tax (MET) process. Following the adjustment, the Hospital Association failed to reach an agreement with the Governor and Legislature.

- Governor Sununu's plan was aimed at redistributing some of the tax dollars to community mental health and federally qualified health centers.

-- At the time, Governor Sununu said, "This is actually an amazing opportunity to redirect some of these funds to nurses, social workers, raising their pay rate."

- This year, the State has negotiated in good faith and offered a proposal that would benefit all parties involved while protecting patients, funding for mental health centers, and funding for critical access hospitals.

- The Hospital Association, Dartmouth Health, and Concord Hospital proposed plans that prioritized billion-dollar corporations while taking millions of dollars away from critical access hospitals.

- The State's proposal would deliver increased funding for all hospitals while preserving funding for critical access hospitals and protecting taxpayer dollars.

-- Under the State's proposal, hospitals would receive tens of millions more in payments than under current law, including millions for critical access hospitals.