March 16, 2010

The Honorable Cindy Rosenwald, Chair
House Health and Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee
Room 205
Legislative Office Building
Concord, NH 03301

Dear Representative Rosenwald and Honorable Members of the Committee,

New Futures, a nonprofit non partisan advocacy organization working to reduce underage alcohol problems and increase access to substance use disorder treatment and recovery services supports SB 331 as an important component in efforts to better leverage state resources to support substance use disorder treatment services.

Mindful of the thoughtful work of the “Committee on Committees” to reduce the number of committees, commissions and taskforces, SB 331 does not create a study committee or commission but utilizes the existing structure of the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment (“Governor’s Commission”) to examine how to take advantage of opportunities to improve access to quality and cost effective substance use disorder treatment services to New Hampshire citizens receiving services funded in whole or in part with public dollars through Medicaid or the state – funded treatment system.

We believe that the Governor’s Commission, with its statutory responsibility to “promote the development of treatment services to meet the needs of citizens addicted to alcohol or other drugs” and its ability to create task forces which may include non – commission members with particular expertise and access to resources, is the perfect entity to examine how to best use limited state funds to improve access to quality and cost effective services for the Medicaid eligible population. SB 331 was introduced at the request of New Futures to ensure that the Governor’s Commission completes its work within a timeframe that will ensure consideration of its recommendations as part of the 2012/2013 state budget process.

The creation of a Governor’s Commission task force as called for in SB 331 will allow the state to take advantage of current research on the effectiveness and value of treatment and any changes in federal law should federal health reform be enacted, while remaining attentive to the state’s budget constraints. New Futures looks forward to actively supporting the work of the commission with analysis of New Hampshire Medicaid data on the nature and cost of substance use disorder services, and access to national expertise on Medicaid substance use disorder benefits through our participation in the Closing the Addiction Treatment Gap Initiative.

In conclusion, New Futures respectfully requests that the Committee recommend SB 331 Ought to Pass. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to the Committee.

Sincerely,

Tricia H. Lucas, Esq.
Policy Director