This Week’s Essential StateImpact

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We break down the posts that stood out the most this week.

Happy Friday, StateImpact readers!  As usual at this time on a Friday afternoon, we’d like to take a moment to call up our most popular posts, just in case you missed them.

So with that in mind, we now present This Week’s Essential StateImpact!

1. A Look Inside An Advanced NH Factory: Our first foray into photographic story-telling was a big hit!  For this post, we take you on a brief tour of Elbit Systems of America in Merrimack, and explain its importance to the resurgence of New Hampshire’s manufacturing economy.
2. Seven Takeaways From The Carsey Institute’s Report On Raising Wages For Home Care Workers: This winter, the Obama Administration announced its intention to overhaul Labor Department rules so that home care workers get federal minimum wage and overtime protections.  It’s been a controversial move, mainly because of its potential to increase home care costs.  A researcher at the Carsey Institute, however, crunched some numbers and found that over the long haul, the move could very well benefit the economy.  We sift through the numbers and break down her findings into seven key takeaways.
3. Why The Certificate Of Need Issue Is Bigger Than The Cancer Treatment Centers Of America Debate: A follow-up piece to our No. 3 post, this story takes a closer look at the key hospital-building regulation itself: The Certificate of Need process.  Although CTCA brought the rule to the fore this legislative session, some lawmakers are considering scrapping it altogether, on the grounds that it drives up health care costs.
4. Where NH Residents Depend On Government Benefits The Most: The New York Times recently put a map together showing how much every county in the county depends on benefits ranging from Medicaid to Social Security and Veterans Benefits.  And in New Hampshire, one county stands out.
5. For Profit Cancer Center Comes To NH to Make Its Case to Lawmakers: Speaking of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, this post digs into the controversy surrounding the business’s bid to build in the Granite State.  CTCA is pushing to be allowed to build without going through the normal process governing medical facility construction: Basically, proving the state actually needs a specialty cancer treatment center.  Beyond whether the state needs a CTCA facility, though, is the question of whether it would produce the economic benefits its representatives promise.