On the last Friday of each month, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute’s research team shares a curated list of books, research papers, podcasts, and more that are helping to shape our understanding of the economic wellbeing of the Granite State and beyond. Here are our picks for August 2026.
On the last Friday of each month, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute’s research team shares a curated list of books, research papers, podcasts, and more that are helping to shape our understanding of the economic wellbeing of the Granite State and beyond. Here are our picks for July 2026.
Thursday, July 30, marks the 61st anniversary of the passage of the federal Social Security Amendments of 1965, which established Medicare and Medicaid. For more than six decades, these programs have provided essential public health coverage for millions of Granite Staters. On this anniversary, the NHFPI team examines who benefits from these programs today, as well as what recent federal and state health policy changes could mean for the future of health coverage in New Hampshire.
After lawmakers passed the State Budget, several state agencies were required to make additional significant "back-of-budget" spending reductions, leaving agency officials to decide which programs would absorb the cuts. NHFPI's new analysis examines how the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services implemented its required $25.5 million reduction for the first year of the State Budget biennium. The analysis finds that the required reductions affected programs that help Granite Staters access mental health care, support children and families, protect public health, and put food on the table. The report also warns that larger service impacts are likely this fiscal year as one-time savings are largely exhausted and new federal policy changes increase financial pressures on state health care spending.
After lawmakers passed the State Budget, several state agencies were required to make additional "back-of-budget" spending reductions. NHFPI's new analysis examines how the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services implemented its required $25.5 million cut and finds the reductions affected programs that help Granite Staters access mental health care, support children and families, protect public health, and put food on the table.
New Hampshire lawmakers wrapped up the 2026 legislative session after considering more than 1,100 bills, with several major policy changes now signed into law or awaiting the Governor’s decision. A new NHFPI analysis offers a look at some of the most consequential decisions made in Concord this year and what they could mean for Granite Staters.
