Building Pathways to Policy: Advancing Healthcare Affordability in NH
November 10th, 2026
The UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice Health Law & Policy Workshop, Building Pathways to Policy: Advancing Healthcare Affordability in New Hampshire, will be held on November 10, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
This interactive workshop brings together health policy stakeholders from across New Hampshire to examine healthcare affordability challenges and explore opportunities for policy solutions. Led by Lucy Hodder, Director of Health and Life Sciences Law and Distinguished Visiting Professor at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, in partnership with the Institute for Health Policy and Practice and the NH Health Cost Initiative, the program will feature guest speakers providing updates on federal and state healthcare policy developments, discussions on healthcare cost trends and transparency, exploration of healthcare market dynamics, and consideration of strategies to strengthen consumer protections. Collaborative discussions will help identify priorities and potential pathways for advancing affordable and equitable healthcare in New Hampshire.
Pre-Meeting Reading Materials
Pre-Meeting Reading Materials –
To help inform discussion during the workshop, participants are encouraged to review the following background materials in advance. These resources provide context on healthcare affordability, healthcare consumer protection, and the impact of recent federal healthcare policy changes.
- NH Health Cost Initiative- Lowering Costs and Improving Health in New Hampshire. The initiative brings together diverse voices for more affordable and equitable healthcare. See Blog.
- UNH Healthcare Vitals: Federal Spending Cuts Mean Higher Health Costs for All, November 2026 A discussion paper examining recent federal healthcare funding reductions and their potential impacts on Medicaid, Marketplace coverage, healthcare affordability, employers, consumers, and providers in New Hampshire, by Lucy Hodder, JD and Susy Hawes.
- New Hampshire Healthcare Consumer Protection Roundtable Summary – 2025 Summary of the Health Law and Policy stakeholder roundtable, “State Healthcare Consumer Protection Needs and Models”, convened on June 15, 2025, by the Institute for Health Policy & Practice exploring healthcare consumer protection models, healthcare affordability, consumer navigation challenges, and potential structures for strengthening consumer assistance in New Hampshire. This summary was also submitted to Attorney General John Formella and the NH Healthcare Consumer Protection Advisory Commission.
- Consumer Protection - Health Literacy Roundtable Summary_2026.pdf – 2026
Summary of the UNH Institute for Health Policy & Practice's Health Literacy & Consumer Protection Roundtable, convened on May 5, 2026, in Concord, NH. The roundtable brought together healthcare providers, insurers, consumer advocates, policymakers, employers, and community organizations to discuss health insurance literacy, healthcare navigation challenges, cost transparency, consumer assistance needs, and opportunities to strengthen consumer protections in New Hampshire. The summary highlights key themes, stakeholder perspectives, and areas for future collaboration to improve consumer access and experiences within the healthcare system.
Additional Materials on Accountable Affordable Healthcare Policy Options
Tracking State Efforts to Improve Health Care Affordability, National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
Peterson-Milbank Program for Sustainable Health Care Costs. Peterson Center on Healthcare/Milbank Memorial Fund
Center on Health Insurance Reforms, Georgetown University; Report on Actionable Policy Options to Reduce Health Care Costs and Complexity - A policy brief examining strategies to address healthcare affordability, including approaches to price regulation, transparency, market oversight, conflicts of interest, and healthcare consolidation.
An analysis of how federal healthcare policy changes may impact Medicaid, private coverage, healthcare affordability, and access to care in New Hampshire.
Brief Agenda
8:30-9:00 a.m. Registration, Networking, and Light Refreshments
9:00-9:10 a.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks, Lucy Hodder
9:10-9:30 a.m. Federal Healthcare Affordability Update, Michael Gamel-McCormick
9:30-10:00 a.m. Panel Discussion: Federal Healthcare Affordability Update, Facilitated by Lucy Hodder; featuring Michael Gamel-McCormick, Kate Skouteris, and Sabrina Dunlap
10:00-10:10 a.m. Break
10:10-10:50 a.m. Tracking Affordability: Costs and Transparent Benchmarks, Morgan Harris, Gary Merchant, Sam Burgess, and Phil Sletten
10:50-11:00 a.m. Break
11:00-11:10 a.m. Accountability and Consumer Protection: Setting the Context, Lucy Hodder
11:10 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Consumer Protection in the Face of Shifting Market Dynamics: Storytelling, Roundtable Discussions, Report-Out, and Key Takeaways
12:25-12:30 p.m. Farewell and Next Steps, Lucy Hodder
Workshop Participant Agenda and Day-of Booklet
This document provides the agenda, speaker and facilitator biographies, participant directory, reflection questions, and note-taking space for the Building Pathways to Policy: Advancing Healthcare Affordability in New Hampshire workshop. This resource is designed to support participant learning, discussion, and collaboration throughout the event.
This resource provides an overview of the major federal health policy debates expected to shape the next Congress, including health care affordability, Medicaid, prescription drug costs, hospital price transparency, 340B reform, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in health care. This resource offers context on key policy issues and legislative priorities that may impact patients, providers, and communities in the years ahead.
