Story Archives of 'health care'

Rising healthcare costs affect just about everyone.

But the financial burden is particularly heavy for those who pay out-of-pocket for large ticket items like wheelchairs, scooters and other essential medical equipment.

But one man in Pembroke found a way to ease that burden.

NHPR’s Dianne Finch reports.

Health care is one of those issues that gets argued and debated quite often in the New Hampshire legislature. Last year a number of bills passed that change who is covered by Granite State employers and for how long. We look at the new laws, including civil unions and the smoking ban, and what the impact may be on businesses and employees.

Guests

• John Rich Jr., Director at McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton who specializes in employee benefits, pension, ERISA and tax-related matters
• Bob Sanders, Staff Writer for the New Hampshire Business Review
• Kathy Sgambati, Democratic Senator from Tilton, member of the Health and Human Services and Finance Committees and former longtime Department of Health and Human Services employee and Deputy Commissioner

The health care system can be complicated even if you do speak English, have roots in the community, and have a car. The Minority Health Coalition makes it easier for people who face language or cultural barriers to meet their health care needs.

We ask the question: is health care a “right” or a “privilege”? As the nation debates how to best cover the most people, we’ll explore a fundamental thought undergirding all the plans, proposals and details – do Americans really have the “right” to health coverage, as some say, and if so, how much?

Guests

• Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
• Steve Norton, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies
• Dr. Robert Woodward, Forrest D. McKerley Endowed Chair in Health Economics at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at UNH.

Rochester is the largest city on the Seacoast.The city’s roots are in manufacturing – but today the working class community employs more people in the healthcare industry than in factories.

And many of those healthcare workers see first hand what it’s like for patients who don’t have adequate health insurance.

NHPR’s Dianne Finch reports on how a few Democrats at a local health clinic feel about the presidential candidates’ abilities to improve the healthcare system.