HB1616 will be going to the NH House Floor for a vote soon. The House Education Committee voted 10-10 which means no recommendation. Democrats on the Committee voted against HB1616 and Republicans voted for it.
HB1616 would require schools to obtain parental consent for each service provided to a student under the Medicaid to schools program. The bill also requires certain legislative policy committees to receive reports regarding the Medicaid to schools program.
We urge you to contact your State Rep. and ask them to support HB1616. Find your representative here.
1) Schools have been charged with Medicaid fraud. By including parental consent, we add an additional layer of protection for the taxpayers. Parents can identify services provided for their children, question them, and require corrections if it’s not accurate.
SEE: Pennsylvania Improperly Claimed $551Million in Medicaid Funds For It’s School Based Program
2) Any trip to the school counselor by a student, if it is billed to Medicaid or Medicare, will require the district to assign a medical diagnosis code. This code will be part of the student’s medical chart which follows them to high school, and into any record that is requested by the military during the enrollment period later on in life. This also includes anyone who wants to pursue law enforcement as a career.
3) A simple trip to the school counselor for a “bad day,” could follow that child the rest of their life. There is no code for normal. That means all of the data collected through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and by school counselors, can deny a child a career in the military or in law enforcement.
4) That kind of denial happens already, and in many cases, it’s legitimate. But as you can see here, candidates have been barred from the military by simply visiting a counselor for moving several times. Parents who consent for services, have the ability to question services that are provided and billed to taxpayers.
5) These are severe consequences that can be applied to a graduate in our public schools that are unfair. By removing this extra layer of protection, which makes these services and expenditures transparent, parents will not be able to monitor all of this.