CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today signed into law New Hampshire HealthFirst, a new initiative aimed at helping small businesses better afford health insurance for their workers.

Gov. Lynch proposed HealthFirst in his State-of-the-Address and made passing the bill a top priority.

“This legislation will help keep health insurance within reach of our families,” Gov. Lynch said.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy and a critical link in our health care system. Most people in New Hampshire get their health insurance through their jobs,” Gov. Lynch said. “Too many small businesses are facing decisions about severely limiting coverage or dropping coverage all together. That is a decision no small business should be faced with, and one that could be devastating to workers.”

New Hampshire HealthFirst was developed in conjunction with the state Insurance Department, lawmakers and other stakeholders to address the rising cost of health insurance for small businesses. It will provide comparable coverage to existing health insurance plans, and reduce premiums by addressing the underlying cost drivers of health care increases through better prevention, better care management and more efficient use of health care services.

“HealthFirst will offer our small businesses a new, more affordable choice for good health insurance coverage. It will help stabilize health insurance costs for our small businesses, and make it possible for more of our businesses to continue offering insurance to their workers,” Gov. Lynch said.

New Hampshire HealthFirst is part of a comprehensive effort Gov. Lynch has undertaken to help more of our citizens have access to quality, affordable health care.

Gov. Lynch created the Citizens Health Initiative, which is working to make New Hampshire a center of health care innovation. The Citizens Health Initiative has been working to make more information about health care costs available, expand the use of electronic medical records and to make New Hampshire the first state where all our providers can prescribe medications electronically.

“We need to continue to bring innovation into the health care industry to stabilize costs and keep quality care within the reach of more people,” Gov. Lynch said. “HealthFirst is an important step forward in those efforts.”

HealthFirst received strong bi-partisan support in the legislature. It passed the House 259-93, and passed in the Senate on a 21-3 vote.

Senate Bill 540 is sponsored by Sens. Kathy Sgambati, Joe Foster, Maggie Hassan, Iris Estabrook, Deb Reynolds, Bob Odell, John Gallus, Jack Barnes, Jackie Cilley, Martha Fuller Clark, Molly Kelly, Lou D'Allesandro, David Gottesman, Sylvia Larsen and Harold Janeway; Reps. Martha McLeod, Sharon Nordgren, Peter Bergin, James Pilliod and Ed Butler.