February 2025
February 2025
The Ohio Health Value Review is a quarterly electronic update from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio designed to provide evidence-informed resources and highlight opportunities for sectors to work together to improve health value in our state. If you have questions about the newsletter or have suggested tools or resources you would like to see included in future editions, please contact Nick Wiselogel, HPIO’s Vice President of Communications and Design.
Health value graphic
Included in Gov. Mike DeWine’s recently released biennial budget plan is a proposal to increase the state cigarette tax to $3.10 per pack, up from the current rate of $1.60. According to 2023 data in HPIO’s Health Value Dashboard, Ohio ranks 29th in cigarette tax rate, compared to the other 49 states and D.C., as displayed below. The new proposed tax rate would move Ohio into the top 10 highest, compared to the most-recent data available for other states.
The Dashboard found that “Nicotine dependence and tobacco are leading drivers of poor health outcomes, such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, and contribute to higher healthcare spending.”
According to the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2025 report, “Increasing taxes on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, is one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, especially among youth. Multiple studies have shown that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4% among adults and about 7% among youth.”
Health value resources
The resources below, organized by the domains in HPIO’s Health Value Dashboard, can be used to help improve health value in Ohio.
Population health and healthcare spending
- Mental health conditions among Ohio children and youth –– HPIO
- Hospital Cost Tool and Prescription Drug Affordability Board Toolkit –– National Academy for State Health Policy
- Federal Funding Recommendations to Scale Up Evidence-Based Practices in Health and Social Services –– RAND
Social and economic environment
- How to Start Screening for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health –– Salud America!
- Understanding the Connections Between Children’s Mental Health & Housing –– ChangeLab Solutions
- Improving access to healthcare by removing transportation barriers –– Ipsos
Physical environment
- Heat-related illnesses are preventable. Here’s how. –– The Health Care Blog
- Something in the Air: Bridging the Air Quality Data Gap with Satellite Technology –– American Lung Association
- Improving drinking water quality in the U.S. –– Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Access to care
- Ohio Medicaid Basics 2025 –– HPIO
- Policy Spotlight: School-based health care and Medicaid –– HPIO
- How Medicaid Helps Your State –– Commonwealth Fund
- Marketplace Pulse: What’s at stake for enrollees over 400% FPL if enhanced premium tax credits expire? –– Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Healthcare system
- Key Strategies for Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce –– National Academy for State Health Policy
- Reducing FTEs Increases Costs: The Impact of Increasing VA ED Providers on Community Care ED Use –– The Incidental Economist
- Meeting the Growing Demand for Age-Friendly Care: Health Care at a Crossroads: –– The John A. Hartford Foundation
Public health and prevention
- Telling the Story of Public Health Accreditation in Ohio –– HPIO, on behalf of the Public Health Accreditation Board
- Health does not have to be partisan: Talking about health in a way that resonates with everyone –– National Association of Counties
- Fluoride: What it is, and Why it Matters for Individual and Community Health –– Public Health Communications Collaborative
Health equity
- Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust Among Black Americans –– Commonwealth Fund
- State Reported Efforts to Address Health Disparities: A 50 State Review –– KFF
- State-Level Structural Racism and Children's Dental Care Access and Oral Health –– RAND
