The Boston Globe – June 10, 2025
By AMANDA GOKEE, Globe Staff
But local health experts warned budget cuts and policy changes including to Medicaid could erode the state’s standing.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/10/metro/nh-child-well-being-kids-count-data-report/
New Hampshire ranked top in the nation for overall child well-being, according to a new Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private philanthropy based in Baltimore. The foundation ranks states by analyzing data from four areas: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. But local health experts in New Hampshire warn that budget cuts and policy changes could undermine the state’s success when it comes to children’s health. In particular, they pointed to proposed cuts to Medicaid, which covered health insurance for 1 in 4 N.H. children in 2023, according to New Futures, a health policy and advocacy organization and home of New Hampshire Kids Count.
“This critical data shows us that there is more that policymakers can do to better support the whole family, to help children thrive and grow up to contribute to our state,” said Rebecca Woitkowski, Child and Family Policy Director at New Futures. “By ensuring that New Hampshire’s children continue to have access to affordable health care, we can ensure that all children have the tools they need to start healthy and stay healthy.”
This is New Hampshire’s third year in a row at the top of the Kids Count list. After New Hampshire, Vermont came in second, followed by Massachusetts, Utah, and Minnesota.