Policy Blog NH

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.