Details:
• What: Hands Off Medicaid Rally & Letters Delivered to Governor Ayotte
• When: Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 2:00-4:00PM
• Where: NH State House Lawn, Concord, NH
Arnie Alpert spent decades as a community organizer/educator in NH movements for social justice and peace. Officially retired since 2020, he keeps his hands (and feet) in the activist world while writing about past and present social movements.
By ARNIE ALPERT, Active with the Activists
CONCORD, NH — After ten weeks of sending over 400 letters, making phone calls, and meeting requests to Governor Kelly Ayotte, the NH Hands Off Medicaid campaign will rally on Thursday, April 24 at 2:00 PM on the State House Lawn to send a clear message to the Governor and Legislature: No rate reductions. No work requirements. No premiums. No cuts—of any kind—to Medicaid.
The rally brings together concerned residents from across NH to push back against harmful proposals that will destabilize critical healthcare services, crush people with premiums, create waitlists for disability services, and reduce reimbursement rates for providers who are already stretched thin. Another 1000 signed letters will be delivered to the Governor’s office.
“It’s time to reframe the Medicaid narrative to ‘When Medicaid is strong, NH Thrives.’ Look, low-income families often choose between paying a utility bill or buying new shoes for their kiddo,” said Lisa D. Beaudoin, founder of Strategies for Disability Equity. “No cuts of any kind to Medicaid are acceptable. Stop asking providers to rank their Medicaid priorities. It’s unconscionable to eliminate the Interest and Dividends tax then hoist austerity onto the backs of NH’s most vulnerable citizens.”
“The State benefits from over $339 million dollars a year in FREE care given by the families of adults with Developmental Disabilities,” says Cathy Spinney of Pelham, NH. “It is unwise to try to trip us and make things harder. The State should be saying ‘Thank heavens for you – what can we do to keep you contributing as long as possible?’ The answer is to increase Medicaid funding and services and STOP making policies that only benefit those who already have plenty.”
Medicaid is one of the most cost-effective investments NH can make—providing essential healthcare and long-term services at a fraction of the cost of institutional care. Every Medicaid dollar supports jobs, small businesses, stabilizes families, and brings in matching federal funds that strengthen New Hampshire’s entire economy.
Despite Governor Ayotte’s soft opposition to the proposed 3% Medicaid rate cut, budget discussions still presume that cuts are inevitable—frightening families and putting essential services at risk. Rally organizers say it’s time for bold leadership and a clear action plan to protect Medicaid.