State News

Indiana hosted a National Hospital Price Transparency Conference discussing the state’s high hospital costs, where researchers discussed the impacts of consolidation and monopolies’ ability to increase prices, according to Wane 15. During the conference, the Employers’ Forum of Indiana unveiled a new dashboard to score healthcare systems on price and quality, which showed that Indiana has the seventh highest costs in the nation, relative to Medicare, without necessarily providing higher quality care. These tools are intended to help healthcare purchasers, such as private insurers, more aggressively negotiate rates with hospitals.

Georgia has passed legislation requiring insurance plans that cover diagnostic examinations for breast cancer to treat cost-sharing requirements the same as annual mammograms, according to AllOnGeorgia. The law is intended to increase access to life-savings health exams and increase the likelihood of early detection of breast cancer. In the same session, Georgia also passed HB 1041, which raises the cap on income tax credits for contributions to rural hospitals to $75 million per year in order to improve the financial solvency of the rural hospitals.

In Connecticut, two health systems are on the brink of owning more than half of the 27 hospitals in the state, reports the CT Mirror. In 2000, the state had 23 independent hospitals, but now it just has 6. Residents of Windham say that when their hospital was acquired by Hartford HealthCare, they were told they would get new services and highly trained specialists. But soon after, the critical care unit was converted to progressive care, which can’t handle the same complexity of care. Now, the health system is moving forward with plans to close the hospital’s labor and delivery unit, which is directly contradictory to promises made to the community. Cuts such as these have devastating impact on the state’s rural labor and delivery landscape.

The Hispanic population in Montana has nearly doubled over the last 10 years, but remains below 100,000 classifying it as a “new-growth community” with limited Spanish-speaking resources, reports the Billings Gazette. The state lacks certain basics such as Spanish-speaking healthcare providers and Spanish versions of documents and health questionnaires, all of which can exacerbate health disparities that already exist due to a lack of affordable housing. Community Health Partners in Bozeman provides primary care for all, regardless of ability to pay, and sees much of the Hispanic population. They have managed to flesh out their Spanish options for patients but find it hard to connect patients with specialist services that offer Spanish-speaking providers or translators. 

A report from the Oregon Health Authority found that the annual family health insurance premiums averaged over $19,000, and that doesn’t include out-of-pocket costs, according to The Lund Report. Using data from 2019, the report found that a family’s premium and out-of-pocket costs totaled 13.5% of the median family income. The report said that rising health care costs jeopardize the financial security of families, consume some families’ savings and prompt some residents to forego needed care and emphasizes the value of the state’s new cost growth benchmark.

Healthcare leaders across the state signed a compact to accelerate the adoption of advanced value-based payment models, according to the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner. These efforts, led by local stakeholders, represent critical strides toward reducing the rate of healthcare spending growth through transforming the way healthcare is paid for and pinpointing the key drivers of healthcare cost growth in the state. The coalition hopes that shifting towards prospective budget-based payment models and away from fee-for-service can improve affordability and quality of care.

The Dane County Health Council, the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness and numerous community health partners have launched ConnectRx Wisconsin, reports Madison365. The initiative is a new care coordination system supporting Black pregnant birthing persons to improve access to healthcare and stabilizing resources, such as food, financial assistance, housing, employment and transportation. The aim is to reduce the occurrence of low birthweight infants and improve birth outcomes for Black birthing persons and babies in the county. Advocates note that in Dane County, babies born to Black mothers are twice as likely to have low birthweight than those born to white mothers. They also note that by providing care coordination and solutions for social needs, they may improve the health of both infants and parents, and hopefully eliminate health disparities.

Washington State passed legislation requiring the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board by June of 2023, according to NASHP. The Board will conduct affordability reviews of the costliest prescription drugs–brand name drugs costing more than $60,000 per year or with price increases of 15 percent or more in the past year, or 50 percent over the last three years—as well as some biosimilars and generics. Starting January 2027, the Board may then establish upper payment limits for state payers on up to 12 drugs per year. In addition, the legislature lowered the cap on insulin prices from $100 to $35 per month and extended the cap through 2024 while the state’s Total Cost of Insulin Work Group studies long-term cost-lowering strategies.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a bill intended to pressure private insurers to improve coverage for mental health conditions, according to an AP article in The Journal Record. The new law asks private insurers to follow established federal requirements to provide the same level of benefits for mental health disorders as they do for physical illness and requires insurers to submit data to the state about their compliance.