By Evelyn Hagan
My name is Evelyn Hagan, and I am a retired family nurse practitioner who served Whitefield and the surrounding towns for 16 years. I am honored to be the President of the Ammonoosuc Community Health Services’ board of directors. Ammonoosuc Community Health Services is a federally qualified health center, and we treat everyone regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. ACHS provides comprehensive primary and preventive care to over 8,000 patients in 26 communities in Grafton and Coos Counties. I write today to urge our House of Representatives to reject HB 524 – a bill that would eliminate free vaccines for Granite State children.
HB 524 repeals the NH Vaccine Association, which was established by the legislature in 2002. The Association is a not-for-profit that collects fees from insurance companies to fund NH’s universal vaccine purchasing program, making the vaccines free to participating health care organizations and ultimately, their patients. The Association does not establish vaccine policy or require vaccinations: It simply allows NH to buy vaccines at the lowest possible cost, without any cost to taxpayers. If the Association is eliminated, taxpayers will pay in more ways than their pocketbooks – we will pay with our health; our time; and our values.
The existence of NH Vaccine Association allows our health center to acquire and offer free vaccines when and where our patients want them: at their trusted primary care practice. The existence of the NH Vaccine Association means ACHS does not have to buy expensive equipment to store the vaccines; we do not have to front the costs of vaccines; and we do not have to wait to be paid by insurance companies for the administration of and cost of the vaccines. The existence of the NH Vaccine Association gives families access to FREE vaccines when they choose for their children to be vaccinated. If the Association is eliminated, Granite Staters will pay more to be vaccinated because health care organizations like ACHS will no longer have access to the free vaccines and equipment provided by the State through this program.
Like all non-profit FQHCs, Ammonoosuc Community Health Services operates on a tight budget. We strive to be good stewards of our resources and ensure the communities we serve have access to the care they need, when and where they need it. Our budget has no wiggle room: We cannot afford to buy costly vaccines, or the equipment necessary to store the vaccines, without a guarantee we will be compensated. The elimination of the NH Vaccine Association will force our patients to seek vaccines elsewhere. But where will parents take their kids to be vaccinated? While adults can access some vaccines at pharmacies, pharmacies cannot offer the same childhood vaccines that primary care providers can.
If HB 524 passes, we will be forced to pay for services we now get for free. HB 524 eliminates patients’ choice and freedom to access free vaccines from their trusted primary care provider: Ammonoosuc Community Health Services. Please vote no on HB 524.
Evelyn Hagan
Retired Family Nurse Practitioner
President of Ammonoosuc Community Health Services’ Board of Directors
Whitefield, NH