Home healthcare advocates in New Hampshire are speaking out against Gov. Maggie Hassan and calling on Democrats to repudiate her politically-motivated budget stalemate by overriding her veto. WPTZ-TV reports:
ANCHOR: New Hampshire’s home healthcare providers want Democrats to override Governor Maggie Hassan’s budget veto if a compromise is not reached by next week. The Homecare Association of New Hampshire said the budget impasse is hurting seniors who need help to say in their homes.
Social services providers and advocates raised concerns about the human cost of a potential budget veto months ago – especially for vulnerable seniors. The Concord Monitor reported in June:
But the advocates fear a veto could jeopardize those small advances. They are worried about the uncertainty a veto would create. “This is really, from our perspective, the best budget we’ve seen in years,” said Gina Balkus, an advocate for home health agencies. “We hope our needs don’t get lost in the political fray that results from a veto.”
A much-needed mental health crisis center has already become a casualty of Hassan’s veto, and New Hampshire’s ability to fight a growing heroin epidemic has been hampered by her absentee governance as she plots her own political future. What next?