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"...to raise new ideas and improve policy debates through quality information and analysis on issues shaping New Hampshire's future." |
February 2009
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February 2009
May 21, 2013 |
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Policy Points February 2009 In this issue:
The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies appears on local radio and television, continuing the Center's mission to inform and educate the public concerning important policy matters.
Town Meeting Time in New Hampshire The Center partnered with New Hampshire Public Radio, the Local Government Center, and the University of New Hampshire to create the 2009 Interactive Town Meeting Map. The website includes "The Warrant Wizard" – an interactive database of warrant articles, highlights of pending matters on zoning, general town operations, and school budgets, and meeting location, dates and times. Historic spending and revenue data for each municipality are also available on our website. Other partners include the NH School Boards Association, the NH School Administrators Association, the NH Department of Education, and the NH Association of Regional Planning Commissions. Local Government in New Hampshire The Center's recent reports on New Hampshire Local Government include The Tax-Shift Impact of Targeted Property Tax Relief in New Hampshire, exploring the State’s property tax relief programs for vulnerable populations – the elderly, the disabled, and homeowners of modest incomes. It provides context for understanding the scope and implications of these programs and a resource to local communities. We also published ground breaking reports on Financing New Hampshire's Cities and Towns and SB2, the local form of governance which now covers more New Hampshire citizens than the traditional town meeting. Measuring New Hampshire's Healthcare The NH Center for Public Policy Studies released an updated healthcare “Dashboard”, a set of indicators measuring the performance of the healthcare system in New Hampshire. The original healthcare Dashboard was produced in 2007. According to Executive Director Steve Norton, New Hampshire’s overall average dashboard score is 79.5%, which places the Granite State at twenty percent of the best ranked states. “New Hampshire’s dashboard score is helped considerably by favorable average score values on quality (93.4%). New Hampshire’s overall score is hindered by poorer score values on public health (77.5%), access (73.1%) and cost (71.5%),” said Norton. New Hampshire’s quality indicators demonstrate a high level of care. However, New Hampshire’s healthcare is expensive, causing New Hampshire to receive a less favorable score on that indicator. “There are 10 to 15 major bills which may emerge from the upcoming Legislative Session that will address health care issues,” according to Norton. “Among them are bills relative to health insurance access, consumer choice in health insurance, eligibility in the healthy kids program, and studying the health needs of northern New Hampshire counties. While these individual efforts are important, it is also important to monitor the entire healthcare system in New Hampshire. The Dashboard provides an effective way of judging the progress New Hampshire is making in improving the health of our citizens.” Most Local Appropriations in New Hampshire are Raised Under SB2 By 2008 more than 35% of New Hampshire’s population lived in the 63 towns that adopted SB2 as an alternative to the more traditional ‘town meeting’. About 30% of New Hampshire’s residents live in ‘town meeting’ towns, and about 34% of New Hampshire’s residents live in the 15 municipalities with no town meeting, usually a city with a council form of government. The Center offers the Graph of the Month from the array of data we use to understand the policy landscape across a wide range of policy issues. The Graph of the Month continues our mission to provide new perspectives on available data which will raise new ideas and improve policy debates through quality information and analysis on issues shaping New Hampshire's future.
Policy Points informs you about our current research topics, including highlights of the important policy discussions going on in and around the State of New Hampshire. Any links to other websites do not necessarily represent an endorsement of that organization by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies To find out more, please visit us at www.nhpolicy.org
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