Our Health Policy Matters

After a year in second place, Massachusetts is once again the best state for your health in the 2013 Our Health Policy Matters rankings . In first place in 2011, Massachusetts dropped to second last year behind Connecticut.  It edged out Connecticut this year based on the rankings of all fifty states in a combination of seven national source rankings and/or spending categories. Here are the top ten states, with the change from last year’s ranking in parentheses. 1. Massachusetts (+1).   Among the seven components of the rankings, Massachusetts was only 4 th in the Healthy State rankings, and 11 th in the Kids Count health rankings.   But it earns its top rank overall because of consistently high placements in five other health care rankings. 2. Connecticut (-1).   Last year’s winner, Connecticut ranks 2 nd overall in the Kids Count health rankings and in the percentage of residents with employer-based private insurance.   But it is only in ...

After a year in second place, Massachusetts is once again the best state for your health in the 2013 Our Health Policy Matters rankings . In first place in 2011, Massachusetts dropped to second last year behind Connecticut.  It edged out Connecticut this year based on the rankings of all fifty states in a combination of seven national source rankings and/or spending categories. Here are the top ten states, with the change from last year’s ranking in parentheses. 1. Massachusetts (+1).   Among the seven components of the rankings, Massachusetts was only 4 th in the Healthy State rankings, and 11 th in the Kids Count health rankings.   But it earns its top rank overall because of consistently high placements in five other health care rankings. 2. Connecticut (-1).   Last year’s winner, Connecticut ranks 2 nd overall in the Kids Count health rankings and in the percentage of residents with employer-based private insurance.   But it is only in ...

The reasons that 25 states chose not to participate in creating a new health exchange aren’t exactly the ones they’ve been claiming – that Obamacare is too complicated, too anti-consumer, or too politically unpopular.  The truth is that they have never done a very good job of protecting the health and well-being of their people – especially their children – and they were not ready to start now. Now that all fifty states have decided whether or not they will at least participate in running their own health insurance exchanges as allowed by the Affordable Care Act (you can see the updated information about what each state decided on my state rankings page ), a clear picture is emerging of what distinguished the states choosing to participate from those refusing to do so. On the whole, when compared to one another, the 25 states that have chosen to participate in running their exchanges (17 by themselves, 8 in partnership with the federal government)do a much better jo...

The reasons that 25 states chose not to participate in creating a new health exchange aren’t exactly the ones they’ve been claiming – that Obamacare is too complicated, too anti-consumer, or too politically unpopular.  The truth is that they have never done a very good job of protecting the health and well-being of their people – especially their children – and they were not ready to start now. Now that all fifty states have decided whether or not they will at least participate in running their own health insurance exchanges as allowed by the Affordable Care Act (you can see the updated information about what each state decided on my state rankings page ), a clear picture is emerging of what distinguished the states choosing to participate from those refusing to do so. On the whole, when compared to one another, the 25 states that have chosen to participate in running their exchanges (17 by themselves, 8 in partnership with the federal government)do a much better jo...

There’s a simple way to calculate just how much a state will save in the long term by expanding the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.  Just multiply whatever it says it will cost by 9. That’s because the federal government will contribute at least $9 worth of match for every dollar a state spends on Medicaid expansion. By now, we’ve all heard just how big some of the match numbers will be.  Based just on the estimates provided by the state itself in its January 2012 Supreme Court brief , Florida, for example, would gain at least $3.2 billion annually. But Florida’s Governor has openly fought the expansion until recent weeks, and has yet to say whether or not he will support it in any form.  He’s not the only one.  A weekend article in the Washington Post reported that as many as thirteen states may be leaning against the expansion, versus 17 plus the District of Columbia that are pursuing it. According to the analysis on which t...

There’s a simple way to calculate just how much a state will save in the long term by expanding the Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.  Just multiply whatever it says it will cost by 9. That’s because the federal government will contribute at least $9 worth of match for every dollar a state spends on Medicaid expansion. By now, we’ve all heard just how big some of the match numbers will be.  Based just on the estimates provided by the state itself in its January 2012 Supreme Court brief , Florida, for example, would gain at least $3.2 billion annually. But Florida’s Governor has openly fought the expansion until recent weeks, and has yet to say whether or not he will support it in any form.  He’s not the only one.  A weekend article in the Washington Post reported that as many as thirteen states may be leaning against the expansion, versus 17 plus the District of Columbia that are pursuing it. According to the analysis on which t...

As the December 14 th and February 14 th dates draw near for states to say whether they will create Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges and what they will look like, the world seems upside down. Traditional “states’ rights” advocates such as South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas all say they will let the federal government set up their exchange.  Historically “strong federal government” allies like Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, New York, and the District of Columbia are setting up their own exchanges. In all, sixteen states so far have said they want the federal government to set up their exchange, while eighteen states and the District of Columbia have decided to run their own .  The rest are either undecided or looking to partner with the federal government.  No states are considering a multi-state exchange – so much for “selling insurance across state lines.” The states that are deferring to the federal government...

As the December 14 th and February 14 th dates draw near for states to say whether they will create Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges and what they will look like, the world seems upside down. Traditional “states’ rights” advocates such as South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas all say they will let the federal government set up their exchange.  Historically “strong federal government” allies like Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, New York, and the District of Columbia are setting up their own exchanges. In all, sixteen states so far have said they want the federal government to set up their exchange, while eighteen states and the District of Columbia have decided to run their own .  The rest are either undecided or looking to partner with the federal government.  No states are considering a multi-state exchange – so much for “selling insurance across state lines.” The states that are deferring to the federal government...

What do South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have in common? They all find themselves among the worst states for your health.  And they all have governors who have already declared that they don’t want to expand Medicaid to uninsured adults in their states. South Carolina ranks 40 th , Texas is 41 st , Louisiana is 44 th , and Mississippi is 47 th in the 2012 Our Health Policy Matters rankings of the states. The worst state for your health this year is Oklahoma, which dropped from 47 th a year ago.  New Mexico came in just ahead of Oklahoma, and just below Nevada, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  Rounding out the bottom ten were Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, and Montana. Led by middle-of-the-pack Medicare and Medicaid community spending, West Virginia escaped the bottom of the rankings this year.  Its 43 rd place finish represents an improvement of seven places over last year’s worst-in-the-nation finish.  On th...

What do South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have in common? They all find themselves among the worst states for your health.  And they all have governors who have already declared that they don’t want to expand Medicaid to uninsured adults in their states. South Carolina ranks 40 th , Texas is 41 st , Louisiana is 44 th , and Mississippi is 47 th in the 2012 Our Health Policy Matters rankings of the states. The worst state for your health this year is Oklahoma, which dropped from 47 th a year ago.  New Mexico came in just ahead of Oklahoma, and just below Nevada, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  Rounding out the bottom ten were Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, and Montana. Led by middle-of-the-pack Medicare and Medicaid community spending, West Virginia escaped the bottom of the rankings this year.  Its 43 rd place finish represents an improvement of seven places over last year’s worst-in-the-nation finish.  On th...