Policy Blog NH

Uncertainty over November state revenues

Today or tomorrow – when November’s revenue estimates are released – state policy makers will get another data point that will help us understand New Hampshire's budget position. But there's still some uncertainty about one significant source of tax revenue.

Some context for the brewing hospitals vs. state battle

The announcement this week that Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia would no longer provide care to Medicaid clients has sparked renewed interest in the recent changes in the state budget that reduced Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals. It also raises questions about the financial status of health systems in New Hampshire.

A presentation released earlier this year by the Center (available here) describes the budget changes, the financial impacts, and the potential responses by the hospitals. But how does LRGH’s announcement fit into the larger claim made by hospitals that recent budget changes threw them into financial peril?

Understanding recent changes to NH's Medicaid program

A coalition of 10 New Hampshire hospitals filed suit against the state earlier this week, challenging recent changes in the state's Medicaid program contained in the new two-year budget.

Medicaid is a joint state-federal program that provides health insurance for the poor and some people with disabilities. The hospitals' lawsuit claims that recent cuts in Medicaid reimbursements will jeopardize access for the populations served by that program.

The program at the heart of the dispute is called the Disproportionate Share Program, which has existed in New Hampshire since 1991.  Recent changes to the program mean that many New Hampshire hospitals will experience reductions in Medicaid revenues as a result of the methods used to fund and distribute that money.

The Center has prepared this presentation, which was originally developed as part of the state 2012-2013 budget process, to provide an overview of the program, the recent changes, and the potential impacts for the state's health systems and communities.

For more information about New Hampshire's health care system, click here.

Health Care Reform: What We Know About Medicaid and Uninsured Adults in NH

What do we know about health care reform and its impacts?  Every policy analyst is trying to understand this piece of federal legislation and answers are not simple nor straightforward. 

Bending the Cost Curve: Are Changes in Medicare Enough?

Policy analysts continue to struggle to understand the degree to which health care reform legislation will ‘bend the cost curve.’  Here is an interesting description of some current thinking in the Atlantic Monthly.   How successful have we been at controlling costs in the past?  A look at the past in various markets raises important questions as policy analysts struggle to answer these questions. 

Access to mental health care for poorer children in wealthier communities

The relationship between income and the risk of mental illness has been extensively studied in the US.  Generally speaking, the higher one’s income is the lower the risk for mental illness.  This also holds true for the income of the community as well.  But, that doesn’t mean that the higher income communities in the state are without residents who, unfortunately, struggle with mental health needs.  This is especially true in communities with greater income inequality. 

An Aging Population Will Affect New Hampshire's Health

Several blogs are pointing to this graph which shows US population by age group from 1950 to 2050.  The Center has developed a similar graph for New Hampshire.

What Can Atul Gawande Tell us About Health Care in New Hampshire?

The Center has done work looking at statewide health care financing in New Hampshire, culminating in the development of a health care dashboard which showed that New Hampshire is a high quality, but high cost health care system. But what about within the state?       

 

Health Care Jobs in New Hampshire

Policy makers' attempts at controlling health care costs, which will limit growth in the health care industry, should also include some thinking about an alternative economic development plan for the state.   Health care remains one of the only sources of economic growth in the state, particularly during this recession.