New Hampshire Uncharted

Public services in New Hampshire from schools to road maintenance depend heavily on one major revenue source: property taxes. But the way those taxes are structured creates big differences in what people pay and raises important questions about fairness, affordability, and how communities fund essential services.  In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, NHFPI Executive Director Gene Martin speaks with NHFPI Research Director Phil Sletten to unpack his recent property tax report and break down how property taxes work, why New Hampshire relies on them so heavily, and what that means for Granite Staters. 

Public education is one of the largest investments New Hampshire makes, and one of the most debated. The state relies more heavily on local property taxes to fund schools than most other states, creating major differences in tax rates and school funding across communities. For decades, that has raised a complex question: how can New Hampshire fund public education more fairly?  In Episode 3 of Season Two of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin is joined by New Hampshire State Representative Walter Spilsbury, Vice Chair of the House Education Funding Committee, to discuss House Bill 1800, a proposal that could significantly change how education funding works in the Granite State.  The conversation explores how New Hampshire’s current school funding system works, why it creates such stark differences between communities, and what HB 1800 was designed to do. It also looks at the practical and political challenges of changing a system that has been debated for generations. 

Health care costs are a growing part of what makes everyday life in New Hampshire harder to afford. For many Granite Staters, managing chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or obesity isn’t just about doctor visits. It’s about access to medications that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars per month.  In Episode 2 of Season Two of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin is joined by Senator Sue Prentiss to explore her proposal that would require certain health insurance plans to cover GLP-1 medications for people who meet specific medical criteria.  Supporters say the bill could improve health outcomes and prevent more costly complications down the road. Critics raise concerns about insurance premiums and overall system costs. In this episode, we unpack what the legislation would actually do, and what’s at stake for Granite Staters. 

Energy costs affect nearly every household in New Hampshire from monthly utility bills to housing affordability and long-term economic security. As lawmakers debate proposals aimed at controlling rising energy costs, understanding who represents consumers and how energy policy decisions are made has never been more important.  In the first episode of Season Two of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin is joined by Donald M. Kreis, New Hampshire’s Consumer Advocate, to break down the role of the Consumer Advocate, what’s driving rising electricity costs, and what policy changes could help improve affordability and fairness. 

Welcome to Season 2 of New Hampshire Uncharted! This season we will explore the specific policy proposals moving through the State House that could shape the state’s future, and what they mean for people who live and work here. New episodes are coming soon. Be sure to subscribe.

As 2025 winds down, New Hampshire residents are feeling the effects of rising costs, major federal policy changes, and a constrained State Budget. In this special year-in-review episode, host Gene Martin sits down with NHFPI Research Director Phil Sletten and Policy Analyst Jessica Williams to break down the year’s biggest policy developments related to health care, housing, taxes, child care, and more.

New Hampshire’s newest graduates are stepping into a job market filled with both opportunity and uncertainty. Even with low unemployment, many young people are beginning adulthood already in the red, as housing, health care, and child care costs continue rising faster than wages. At the same time, slowing job growth and persistent underemployment are reshaping the workforce and forcing young Granite Staters to grapple with difficult choices about where they can afford to build their futures.  In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin unpacks these challenges with:  Nicole Heller, Senior Policy Analyst, New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute  Marc Lewis, Professor of Accounting, Franklin Pierce University  Aria Caputo, Junior, Franklin Pierce University 

The cost of purchasing a house in New Hampshire has surged more than 275 percent over the last quarter-century, forcing a reshaping the finances of families, employers, and entire communities. A typical single-family house that sold for about $137,000 in 1999 now sells for roughly $514,000. Wages haven’t kept up, leaving more Granite Staters priced out of ownership and straining renters as well.  In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin digs into what’s driving the crisis, and what can be done, with three people on the front lines:  Nick Taylor, Director, Housing Action NH  Sarah Wrightsman, Manager, Community Engagement & Education, New Hampshire Housing  Jessica Williams, Policy Analyst, New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute 

Food insecurity in New Hampshire is rising…again. After the COVID-19 pandemic aid briefly lowered hunger rates, food insecurity has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 42,000 Granite State households struggling to afford enough to eat. The effects are far-reaching, ranging from health challenges to educational setbacks for children.  A recent analysis from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute warns that the problem could worsen. Under recently passed federal changes in the new federal reconciliation law passed in July, 4,000 Granite Staters could lose SNAP food assistance due to new work requirements and red tape, and more program costs will be shifted onto the state.  In the latest episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with three leaders on the frontlines of fighting hunger:  Laura Milliken, Executive Director, NH Hunger Solutions  Elsy Cipriani, Executive Director, NH Food Bank  Kyle Repucci, Principal, Broken Ground School in Concord 

New Hampshire is aging faster than nearly every other state in the country — and that shift is reshaping everything from our housing market to our workforce. In the latest episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with three experts to unpack what the Granite State’s aging population means for communities, caregivers, businesses, and policy.  Joining the conversation:  Lily Wellington, Executive Director, NH State Commission on Aging  Christina Fitzpatrick, State Director, AARP New Hampshire  Jessica Williams, Policy Analyst, NH Fiscal Policy Institute 

In this episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with two of New Hampshire’s leading experts on health care policy to unpack a question that concerns every household, business, and budget in the Granite State: Why is health care so expensive here – and what can we do about it? Deborah Fournier, Director of Health Law and Policy at the UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice and a former director of New Hampshire’s Medicaid program, and Jennifer Frizzell, Director of the New Hampshire Health Care Cost Initiative, explore the root causes of high prices in New Hampshire’s health care system – from hospital consolidation and aging demographics to gaps in data and transparency – and highlight policy solutions that other states have used to rein in costs.

In the latest episode of New Hampshire Uncharted, host Gene Martin sits down with New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration Commissioner Lindsey Stepp and NHFPI Research Director Phil Sletten to explore why the state’s revenue outlook is dimming—and what it could mean for the upcoming budget. “I've been involved with revenue estimating at DRA since roughly 2010 in various roles, and I think that this is one of the hardest times that I've experienced in terms of estimating revenue for this upcoming biennium,” explained Stepp on the podcast. After years of surpluses, business tax revenues are falling, the Interest and Dividends Tax has been repealed, and policymakers are left with tough questions about how New Hampshire raises—and spends—its money.

In its inaugural episode, New Hampshire Uncharted dives into the State Budget—a critical yet often misunderstood blueprint that determines funding for essential services like education, healthcare, transportation, and public safety. With insights from Charlie Arlinghaus, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services, and Phil Sletten, NHFPI’s Research Director, the discussion unpacks how the budget is structured, and the current challenges posed by economic fluctuations and federal funding uncertainties.