Data Graphics

HPIO has updated data first included in its January Health Value Dashboard policy brief, “A closer look at outdoor air pollution and health.”

The updated 2020 data (the most-recent year for which data is available) shows that racial disparities persist in exposure to air pollution, with the index of exposure for Black Ohioans being almost 1.5 times higher than white Ohioans, as displayed in the graphic above.

Much of that difference can be explained by historic zoning policies and redlining that placed industrial plants and highways closer to predominantly Black neighborhoods and prohibited Black people from moving to areas farther away from these sources of pollution.

These policies increased both past and present risk of exposure to air pollution for Black Ohioans. Similar policy decisions made by federal, state and local officials left Black neighborhoods with less maintenance services (e.g., garbage removal and street cleaning) and without green spaces like parks. Because of these discriminatory policies and their lasting impact, people of color across the U.S. and in Ohio are exposed to higher levels of harmful air pollution.

As stakeholders across the country mark Mental Health Awareness Month, HPIO’s recently released 2023 Health Value Dashboard found that one way health value in Ohio can be improved is by fostering mental well-being. Ohio leaders can build on lessons learned from the response to the addiction crisis over the past decade to make Ohio a national leader in behavioral health.

Dashboard data shows that rates of overdose deaths and suicides vary by county (as illustrated above). To support resilience, well-being and recovery in Ohio, the state can target and tailor resources where they are needed most.

“Across the U.S. and in Ohio, the toll of behavioral health crises continues to rise, including increases in drug overdose and suicide deaths,” According to the Dashboard. However, the state does have strengths upon which to address the issue. “The state has also improved overall access to care over the past decade, which is an important advantage to getting more Ohioans the help they need.”

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released the tenth edition of Ohio Medicaid Basics, a primer that provides an overview of the Medicaid program in Ohio.

The 2023 edition includes information on Medicaid eligibility, covered groups and services, delivery systems, financing, spending and recent policy and programmatic changes. In addition to giving an overview of the program, the brief details recent changes, such as Medicaid continuous coverage and redetermination, implementation of the Next Generation of Ohio Managed Care initiative and extension of postpartum coverage, as well as describes how the changes affect enrollment and spending.

Ohio Medicaid provides healthcare coverage for about 3.6 million Ohioans (30% of the state’s population, as displayed in the graphic above), most of whom are children, older adults, people with disabilities and adults with low incomes who could not otherwise afford private or employer-sponsored health insurance. The program represents a significant share of government spending in Ohio. In state fiscal year 2022, federal and state expenditures on Medicaid accounted for about 39% of Ohio’s budget, with 73% of the fund coming from the federal government.

HPIO has released Medicaid Basics every two years since 2005.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released the latest edition of its biennial Health Value Dashboard, which found that Ohio ranks 44 on heath value compared to other states and D.C. (as displayed in the graphic above).

That means that Ohioans are living less healthy lives and spending more on health care than people in most other states.

The Dashboard is designed for policymakers and other public- and private-sector leaders to examine Ohio’s performance relative to other states, track change over time and identify and explore health disparities and inequities in Ohio. The report also highlights evidence-informed strategies that can be implemented to improve Ohio’s performance.

With more than 100 data metrics, the report can be a valuable tool as Ohio’s leaders continue to develop the state’s biennial budget over the next two months.

In the fifth edition of the Dashboard, HPIO identified three specific areas of strengths on which Ohio can build to create opportunities for improved health value in the state:

• Strengthen Ohio’s workforce: Ohio can build upon recent success in attracting employers in high-growth industries to strengthen the workforce and reduce poverty
• Foster mental well-being: Ohio can build upon expertise with, and community response to, the addiction crisis to become a national leader in behavioral health
• Improve healthcare effectiveness: Ohio can build upon strengths in access to care to reinvigorate approaches to improving outcomes and controlling healthcare spending

Five years after HPIO’s report A New Approach to Reduce Infant Mortality and Achieve Equity identified 127 policy recommendations in housing, transportation, education and employment to reduce infant mortality in Ohio, the majority of those policy options saw some progress toward implementation (as illustrated in the graphic above).

In March, HPIO released a new follow-up report, Social Drivers of Infant Mortality: Recommendations for Action and Accountability in Ohio, that builds upon recommendations first included in the original report.

The new report found that, despite the efforts of many in both the public and private sectors, progress since 2011 in reducing infant mortality has been minimal and uneven, and Ohio’s infant mortality rate remains higher than most other states.

In recent weeks, HPIO has released action guides that highlights policy options for improving education and housing, two of the social drivers of infant mortality in Ohio. Guides on transportation, employment and racism are planned to be released in the coming months.

Policy changes made in Ohio over the last decade that have expanded access to care also reduced the gap between Black and white Ohioans who report going without care due to cost, as displayed in the graphic above.

As Ohio observes Minority Health Month in April, it is clear that although progress has been made, there is still work to be done to eliminate health disparities. In HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard, which will be released in late April, the Institute found that if the racial gap in ability to pay for health care was fully closed, nearly 45,000 more Black Ohioans would not experience financial barriers to care.