State News

Only fifteen percent of Kansas hospitals are in compliance with federal price transparency guidelines, reports KCUR. Data from a February 2023 Patient Rights Advocate report found that many hospitals in the state are not compliant with the federal rule. Beginning in 2023, the Biden administration has increased possible fines for non-compliance; however, “shopping” for services remains a challenge in the state.

The new Minnesota Prescription Drug Price Transparency (RxPT) initiative reveals high and varied prices, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The initiative includes detailed data available in several interactive dashboards on the MDH Prescription Drug Price Transparency website. Cursory findings from the data demonstrate that prescription drug prices have grown significantly faster than the rate of inflation. The dashboard, along with the accompanying report, provides information for consumers and policymakers as they examine prescription drug prices and efforts to curb rising prices

Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board released a report detailing price trends and the number of prescription drugs subject to their review, according to State of Reform. The board found that prescription drug prices outpaced inflation by a difference of 31.5 percent to 8.5 percent, and over 800 drugs have increased in price over the last three years.

Two in ten Connecticut residents insured through the state's health insurance marketplace struggle to afford necessities due to health care costs, according to the Hartford Courant. Despite the burden of medical debt across the state, area hospitals spend less than the national average on financial assistance programs to support disadvantaged communities.

A survey from the California Health Foundation finds that 52 percent of respondents either skipped or delayed at least one kind of health care due to cost in the past year, with higher rates for low-income respondents and Black and Latino respondents, according to The Center Square . Higher-income respondents less frequently thought that affordability was very or extremely important compared to lower-income respondents, as were white respondents compared to Black, Latino, and Asian respondents.

New Jersey passed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover colonoscopies beginning at age forty-five, reports NJ.com. The bill also eliminates cost-sharing requirements for patients of all ages who are referred for screening after a positive result on a different screening test. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in New Jersey and disproportionately affects Black men.

Colorado’s Center for Improving Value in Health Care released the first health care transparency tool of its kind in Colorado, showing how provider payments vary across the state, reports AboutHealthTransparency.org. The provider payment tool is the first comprehensive
analysis that identifies how much providers are paid for thousands of services, using claims information from the state’s APCD.

Ohio Governor DeWine announced a community-based program aimed at improving the health and well-being of moms, infants, and families, reports Cleveland.com. Obstetrical practices participating in the program are required to measure and engage with patients related to access to care, cultural competency, and communication methods. Practices are expected to formally assess practice strengths and patient needs to ensure resources and best practices available are used to achieve healthier outcomes. Practices that participate in the program will be reimbursed by the state’s Medicaid program in a payment structure that rewards providers who address family needs through prenatal, birth, and postnatal periods. Ohio Medicaid estimates the program will cost five million dollars by the end of this first year, reaching over 14,000 pregnant and postpartum patients and enrolling 77 medical practices.

A new report from the American Economic Liberties Project details the negative impacts of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) control of the western Pennsylvania health care market, reports Fierce Healthcare. The report highlights UPMC’s practice of using market power to acquire and shut down competing hospitals and driving patients to its other facilities, thereby increasing their ability to raise prices for patients. It also includes specific policy recommendations to reform the Pennsylvania health care industry, such as increasing scrutiny over hospital mergers.