The rising demand for social services will consume all of New Hampshire’s stimulus funds earmarked for the poor – dashing some lawmakers’ hopes of using the money to restore budget cuts.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas told House budget writers Tuesday the extra Medicaid money in the federal stimulus package will be about $260 million over 27 months. When he built his budget, Governor John Lynch counted on getting $230 million.
But Toumpas says preliminary calculations show his department needs at least $46 million more than Lynch budgeted. Toumpas said that number doesn’t include money the counties will get for Medicaid clients.
That leaves a budget gap lawmakers would have to fill from other sources.