Data Graphics

January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month and new analysis by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that thousands of Ohioans who need drug or alcohol treatment are not receiving it.

As illustrated above, some of the reasons for not receiving needed care include cost, transportation, lack of provider availability and challenges with insurance.

In recent years, access to mental health and addiction treatment has been a priority for state policymakers. RecoveryOhio’s 2024-2027 Strategic Plan lists access to treatment and recovery services as one of the five key pillars of its work. According to the plan, “Numerous resources and services exist, but many Ohioans find them difficult to identify and navigate. Intake into mental health or substance use disorder treatment is too frequently initiated by law enforcement or emergency room services.”

Click here to see a list of mental health and substance use resources from HPIO.

HPIO analysis that was included in its recently released policy spotlight “School-Based Health Care and Medicaid" found that the percentage of children ages 6-18 that were covered by public health insurance alone (e.g., Medicaid, military insurance) or in combination with private insurance, in each county ranges from a low of 9.9% in Delaware County to 53.7% in Hocking County during the 2022-2023 school year, as displayed above.

According to the publication, the federal government in 2014 increased flexibility for states to cover school-based health services for students enrolled in Medicaid (more than 703,000 students in Ohio). The new HPIO policy spotlight explores the opportunities this federal policy change presents for Ohio to leverage Medicaid reimbursement to improve the health and well-being of students.

“Children from families with low incomes, and therefore eligible for Medicaid, often experience more barriers to accessing health care due to factors such as lack of transportation or parent challenges taking time off work,” the report states. “These barriers increase the value of school-based health services for families.”

New data included in HPIO’s recently released data brief “Mental Health Conditions among Ohio Children and Youth” shows that children in Ohio with anxiety were slightly more likely to have moderate or severe anxiety than children around the country, as illustrated above.

Childhood mental health conditions are associated with an increased risk of chronic physical health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease), continuing mental health problems and worse employment outcomes in adulthood.

The brief states, "Understanding this data, and engaging children, youth and their parents and caregivers, can lay the foundation for action and policy change."

The data brief is the first in a series of four planned HPIO publications on child and youth mental health that will be released over the next two years.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new policy spotlight titled “School-Based Health Care and Medicaid.”

In 2014, the federal government increased flexibility for states to cover school-based health services for students enrolled in Medicaid (more than 703,000 students in Ohio). The new HPIO policy spotlight explores the opportunities this federal policy change presents for Ohio to leverage Medicaid reimbursement to improve the health and well-being of students.

“Providing a wider array of health services in schools can lead to better health and education outcomes for Ohio students, especially among those in underserved groups,” the paper concludes, noting that 26 other states have expanded Medicaid reimbursement for school-based healthcare services beyond students with an individualized education program (IEP).

As illustrated above, as of October 2023, 15 states expanded the population of students for whom Medicaid can reimburse for healthcare services to include all Medicaid-enrolled students (not only those with an IEP). In addition, six states expanded Medicaid reimbursement to a limited set of services (e.g., behavioral health services, school nursing services) to all Medicaid-enrolled students and four states expanded eligibility for Medicaid reimbursement to a subset of the Medicaid-enrolled student population (e.g., students with a 504 plan, which is a formal document that outlines supports or modifications needed by a student with disabilities to ensure they have equal access to education).

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new data brief titled “Mental Health Conditions among Ohio Children and Youth.”

In recent years, rates of mental health conditions have increased among Ohio children and youth. As illustrated above, in 2023, a fifth (20%) of middle school students and a third (33%) of high school students in Ohio reported that their mental health was not good most or all of the time.

Childhood mental health conditions are associated with an increased risk of chronic physical health conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart disease), continuing mental health problems and worse employment outcomes in adulthood.

The brief states, "Understanding this data, and engaging children, youth and their parents and caregivers, can lay the foundation for action and policy change."

The data brief is the first in a series of four planned HPIO publications on child and youth mental health that will be released over the next two years.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, and data from the AARP shows that in 2021 there were more than 1.4 million family caregivers in Ohio, the eighth most of any state in the country, as illustrated above.

In a report released last year, the AARP calculated the value of family caregivers in each state based on an average of 18 hours of care per week at an average value of $16.59 per hour. Using that formula, AARP estimates that the economic value of family caregivers in Ohio is more than $21 billion a year.

“Recognizing and supporting family caregivers is crucial to the health and economic and social well-being of both the caregivers themselves and the people who receive their care,” the report stated. “Family caregivers provide needed day-to-day supports and services and manage complex care tasks for adults with chronic, disabling, or serious health conditions.”