Enhanced care coordination programs, also called "wraparound," empower families caring for a child or teen with significant behavioral health needs, including mental health and substance use disorders.
Wraparound programs have helped hundreds of Granite State families navigate complex systems as they face a child's intensive behavioral health challenges. However, a private insurance coverage gap has created barriers for Granite State families and cost taxpayer dollars unnecessarily.
Senate Bill 498 would help more Granite State families access the care they need, regardless of their insurance type.
Learn More about Wraparound Programs
New Hampshire’s Children's System of Care for behavioral and mental health was designed with wraparound programs as its Tier 3 - Intensive, Community-Based Services. They are the Granite State's version of a proven youth- and family-centered planning and care coordination process.1 These programs serve families who have tried less intensive treatments and/or have complex situations requiring them to be involved in more than one “system” (e.g. juvenile justice, child protection, special education).
Wraparound programs help families clarify their strengths and needs. They then bring together a team to develop and implement a plan alongside them. The team can include the child, family, professional service providers, and other trusted adults.
There are three distinct wraparound programs in New Hampshire:
- FAST (Families and Systems Together) Forward wraparound for ages 5-21
- Early childhood wraparound for birth to 5
- Transitional Enhanced Care Coordination (TrECC) for youth in need of or transitioning out of residential treatment
Learn More About The Private Health Insurance Coverage Gap
While wraparound is included as part of Medicaid, it is unfortunately not covered by private health insurance corporations. This means Granite State families who purchase health insurance through their employer or the marketplace face significant barriers or may not be able to access these critical services.
To ensure access, stopgap measures currently allow some acutely ill children to become eligible for Medicaid through a special program, but not until their mental health challenges become severe.
Other families have had their wraparound care covered with taxpayer general fund dollars.
These extra steps have unnecessarily delayed appropriate care for children and teens while their struggles intensified.
About the Bill
- Protect taxpayers by preventing state general funds from subsidizing private health insurance corporations.
- Require private health insurance companies to help pay for these mental health services, creating a partnership between public and private insurers.
- Allow Tier 3 of the Children’s System of Care to work as intended for the first time.
- Help New Hampshire children get needed care, no matter what type of insurance they have.
- Contribute to more Granite State children and youth access the right care at the right time.
Take Action
Call Your State Senator - Script Provided
A phone call is the most effective way to contact a legislator!
First, find your State Senator and their office phone number.
The phone numbers listed are for State Senator's offices at the State House. Each State Senator shares a staffer with other Senators, so please mention your Senator's name.
If you call outside of State House hours, you may leave a message asking for support of SB 498 along with the State Senator's name, your name, your town, your phone number, and personal remarks.
Many advocates find it helpful to prepare before making a call. Please find a sample script below.
Hi, I'm calling for State Senator [Last Name]. My name is [First and Last Name] and I'm from [Town].
I am calling to ask the Senator to support SB 498.
I appreciate the Senator's service to New Hampshire.
Senate Bill 498 would close the private health insurance coverage gap for children’s behavioral health care coordination.
Choose a few of the suggested points below:
Share a personal story about your own, a loved one, or a client/patient's
Success with either FAST Forward, early childhood wraparound, or Transitional Enhanced Care Coordination (TrECC)
- or -Difficulties accessing appropriate youth behavioral health care
Enhanced care coordination, or "wraparound," is an empowering program for families navigating complex systems while caring for a child with intensive behavioral health needs.
Wraparound helps families identify their strengths and needs. It brings together a team (including other family members and service providers) to develop and support the family’s plan so the child can remain at home and avoid more costly interventions.
While Medicaid covers wraparound, it is unfortunately not covered by private insurance carriers, meaning many families face significant barriers or may not be able to access these critical services. Some children with private insurance may be able to qualify for Medicaid through a special program, but not until their mental health challenges become severe. In other cases, taxpayer money is being unnecessarily used to cover these services, subsidizing private health insurance corporations.
Senate Bill 498 would require private insurance companies to help pay for enhanced care coordination, creating a partnership between public and private insurers. This would allow Tier 3 of the Children’s System of Care to work as intended for the first time.
This bill would help New Hampshire children get the care they need, no matter what type of insurance they have.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please support SB 498.
Easy Email Template to Contact Your State Senator
Share Your Story
Will you share your experience to help support insurance coverage for enhanced care coordination in NH? Stories are powerful tools that can be shared with lawmakers and the public to influence policy change. New Futures can help you develop effective ways to share your story.
- Have you, a loved one, a client/patient, etc. either benefitted from or struggled to access youth behavioral/mental health care?
- Do you have experience with enhanced care coordination, or "wraparound", also known as FAST (Families and Systems Together) Forward, early childhood wraparound, or Transitional Enhanced Care Coordination (TrECC)?
Print or Download to Share: Advocacy Brief
Attend or Testify at a Public Hearing
Make your voice heard by attending or testifying at a public hearing! New Futures can help you prepare remarks, find the committee room, and offer moral support at the hearing.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing for SB 498 on February 11. However, the bill may have a future hearing.
Need help? Contact Wendy Chase (Community Engagement Coordinator) for help taking action or Emma Sevigny (Senior Policy Director, Children's Behavioral Health) with policy questions.
Bill Status
Later: If this bill passes the Senate, it will take a lot of effort to educate House members about it. If you have personal experience related to this issue, could you please share your story under Take Action above?
Thursday, March 26: The full Senate will vote on the committee's recommendation as part of the consent calendar, meaning the bill will not be debated on the floor and state senators will use a voice vote to weigh in on it together with a group of other bills.
March 19: As the bill includes a fiscal note, it was considered in the Senate Finance Committee. The committee waived a second hearing and unanimously recommended the bill "ought to pass".
March 5: The full Senate agreed to move the bill forward on a unanimous voice vote as part of the consent calendar.
February 18: The committee voted 4-1 to recommend the bill as “ought to pass” to the full Senate, with Senators Regina Birdsell, Pat Long, Suzanne Prentiss, David Rochefort in favor of the bill, and Senator Kevin Avard opposed.
February 11: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing. We are incredibly grateful to the many advocates who were in attendance. There were even two articles in the Concord Monitor that highlighted advocate stories and the importance of this bill.
January 7, 2026: Senate Bill 498 was introduced and assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
You can learn more about how New Hampshire's legislative process works on our About the Legislature webpage, or take one of our advocacy trainings.
If you'd like to hear about the bill's progress, you can sign up for automated updates from the NH Legislature here.
