State News

A study from WalletHub ranked states across many key health metrics, including children’s health and access to healthcare—where Hawaii earned the top rank, reports State of Reform. Hawaii earned second place overall for children’s healthcare, only just behind the District of Columbia. The state also earned a high score for lowest percentage of uninsured children, children with unaffordable medical bills and percentage of overweight children. However, Hawaii had the second to last ranking for children’s oral health.

West Virginia has passed legislation to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income women up to one year after giving birth, reports U.S. News & World Report. The state’s Governor indicated that the state’s health department will opt into the state plan option indicated in the American Rescue Plan, noting that the state’s population has many lower-income families and pregnant women in need of comprehensive health coverage.

The United Hospital Fund published a report identifying the most effective ways to present meaningful and user-friendly pricing information to New York consumers, following a 2020 directive to create a consumer-friendly website, NYHealthcareCompare. Some recommendations include: using the “allowed amount,” as it best reflects the actual underlying price of healthcare services, using commercial claims data for the first iteration of the transparency website, and displaying pricing information for public insurance programs. 

Maryland’s unique healthcare financing model may have helped providers financially weather the pandemic storm, report experts at a panel held by State of Reform. Maryland’s global budget system for hospitals provided stability and allowed providers to focus on responding to the pandemic, but the payment services system struggled, experts acknowledge. However, the flexibility the financing system in Maryland allowed healthcare systems to focus on social determinants of health and could be implemented elsewhere. 

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services approved Illinois’ 1115 waiver allowing for the extension of full Medicaid benefits from 60 days to 12 months postpartum, reports the Illinois Office of the Governor. Illinois is the first state to extend full Medicaid benefits to this extent. It is hoped that this extension will strengthen continuity of care to improve health outcomes for mothers in Illinois and reduce the rate of maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly reducing the significant health disparities for Black women. Women with incomes up to 208% of the federal poverty level will have continuous Medicaid eligibility through 12 months postpartum. 

The District of Columbia was ranked the best state for children’s healthcare in a study from WalletHub. The study assessed states on 35 indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s healthcare. D.C. ranked number one in children’s oral health, number two in children’s health and access to healthcare and number seven in children’s nutrition, physical activity and obesity. 

Ohio ranks 47^th in the nation in health value as compared to other states and D.C., according the Health Value Dashboard from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. The Dashboard found that the majority of Ohio’s healthcare spending is on downstream factors of health to treat health problems, particularly due to a lack of investment in children, equity and prevention. The equity profiles highlight many health disparities experienced by Ohioans, including that Black, Hispanic and Ohioans with disabilities are more likely to be unable to see a doctor due to cost than white Ohioans or Ohioans without disabilities. The Dashboard recommends nine policies to improve health value in Ohio, including: strengthening the public health workforce; training on racism and discrimination; and increasing eligibility for a childcare subsidy. 

New Mexico’s governor signed a bill creating the Health Care Affordability Fund and eliminating cost sharing for behavioral services covered by health insurance plans, announced the Office of the Governor. The Health Care Affordability Fund will be used to invest in initiatives to make health insurance and healthcare services more affordable for working families, such as lowering premiums and out-of-pocket costs for individuals who purchase health insurance from the state marketplace and uninsured residents who do not qualify for federal assistance. The Urban Institute estimates that investing in these initiatives could provide up to 23,000 uninsured New Mexicans with affordable healthcare coverage.

New Mexico’s governor signed the Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act into law, reported KRWG. This law will protect patients from medical debt by requiring hospitals and other healthcare facilities to screen uninsured patients for public insurance and other financial assistance programs. In addition, the law also protects patients whose household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level from being sent to debt collectors or sued by healthcare facilities for unpaid medical bills.