CONCORD — By a single vote, the House voted to stop paying for poor children’s circumcisions under the state Medicaid program.

A similar bill was voted down last year. 

Supporters of the bill said the operation is not medically necessary and comes with a significant risk of permanent, life-altering complications, although parents want their male child to have it for personal or religious reasons.

They said the procedure was sold as a way to diminish sexual pleasure seen as the root of all evil in earlier times.

But opponents of House Bill 94 said it targets children of the poor and would make Jews and Muslims feel less welcome in the state.

They said there are many other medically recommended procedures that are not mandatory that Medicaid covers, but circumcision is the only one singled out for exclusion.

“This sets circumcision apart from all the others. It does send a message,” said Rep. Paul Berch, D-Westmoreland. “It hangs out a sign that Jews and Muslims not quite as welcome in New Hampshire as others. Some may not see that sign, but Jews and Muslims will.”

He listed a number of other medically recommended but not mandatory procedures covered by Medicaid including dental and vision care, hearing aids, physical therapy, mental health counseling and bariatric surgery.

Rep. David Nagel, D-Gilmanton, said the procedure is beneficial, is medically recommended, but it is not mandatory.

He said it is performed on about 70 percent of male newborns with a 90 percent satisfaction rate. There are risks and there can be complications, but they are very rare, said the physician.

The cost of the procedure rose dramatically for Medicaid patients when the procedure is performed later in life, he noted.

“We do it because of patient choice,” Nagel told the House.

“It is an important part of the American health care paradigm  and we should cover this procedure.”

But the bill’s prime sponsor Rep. Julius Soti, R-Windham, said circumcision is part of the Jewish covenant and was sold as a cure-all by quacks in the early part of the last century when the number of circumcisions performed on newborn males reached its highest point.

He said historically it is not part of the “good old men tradition” and noted the men in the portraits of historic leaders hanging on the front wall of the House chamber were not circumcised.

Soti said circumcision was sold as a way to diminish sexual pleasure.

“Why are we paying to diminish the sexual pleasure of poor people?” he asked.

The bill was approved on a 184-183 vote and was sent to the House Finance for review, but the chairman waived review sending the bill to the Senate.

State Inspections

The House also approved House Bill 649 which would eliminate the need for annual motor vehicle inspections.

Supporters said the system is broken and needs to be fixed, but the industry has failed to cooperate with efforts so the inspections need to be eliminated as they are in most other states.

Opponents also noted the system needs to be reformed, but said passing the bill could put at risk over $200 million annually in federal highway money and urged colleagues to let them work this summer to propose changes to the system that would not impact the federal money.

The bill passed on a 212-143 vote and was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for review, but the chair waived the review and the bill now goes to the Senate.

Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.