State News

A report shows that racial and ethnic disparities in health care access, quality, and outcomes
persist in Indiana, reports WFYI Indianapolis. According to The Commonwealth Fund 2024
State Health Disparities Report, white people in Indiana experienced the highest health system
performance, while Black people experienced the lowest health system performance in the
state. In addition, Indiana ranked 28th of 47 states in health systems performance for Hispanic
people
 

Colorado’s overall medical debt burden is lower than most other states, but its racial and ethnic
disparities are wider, reports KFF Health News. The gap between the debt burden in ZIP codes
where residents are primarily Hispanic and/or non-white and ZIP codes that are primarily non-
Hispanic white is twice what it is nationally. Medical debt in Colorado is also concentrated in ZIP
codes with relatively high shares of immigrants, many of whom are from Mexico. Colorado has
taken steps to protect patients from medical debt, but the complexities of many assistance
programs remain a major barrier for immigrants and others with limited English proficiency.

Texas has the fifth highest health care costs in the nation, reports to Houston Culture Map. The
report, from Forbes Advisor, found Texas’ average annual premiums for plus-one health
coverage ($4,626) and family coverage ($7,051) through employer-provided policies were the
4th highest in the nation. In addition, 16 percent of Texas adults chose not to see a doctor in the
past 12 months due to the cost of health care.

Rhode Island has some of the highest commercial healthcare premiums paid by families and
employers in the country, reports Providence Now. The findings, from a Rhode Island Business
Group on Health report, indicate that, between 2012 and 2022, health insurance premium costs
in the state increased from 23 percent to 28 percent of median household income, leading to the
state having the 13th most expensive premiums in the nation. Notably, medical claims and
pharmaceutical costs represent nearly 88 percent of insurers' expenses, highlighting the need
for collaborative strategies to align health care stakeholders and contain costs. The report calls
on the state to focus on reducing hospital costs, which account for a significant portion of
medical expenses covered by premiums.

Indiana will require health care entities to notify the state of mergers and acquisitions effective
July 1, 2024, according to the National Law Review. Health care entities with total assets of at
least $10 million dollars must provide notice at least 90 days prior to the merger or acquisition,
including written notice to the office of the Attorney General (AG). The AG will then review the
information and analyze in writing any antitrust concerns with the transaction. The change
comes following recommendations by the state’s Health Care Oversight Task Force, which
highlighted the role market consolidation plays in driving up health care costs. Notably, the
dollar threshold is lower than other states with similar statutes and applies to a wider range of
health care entities, including private equity firms.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has launched a strategic plan to
advance racial equity in all the work DPH undertakes and oversees, providing an action-
oriented roadmap to address underlying concerns that have perpetuated health inequities
across the state. The Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity is a call for action and
accountability to address the systemic inequities faced by people who identify as Black,
Indigenous, Latino and/or Asian or Pacific Islander, seeking to acknowledge, transform, and
improve the public health outcomes of all people in Massachusetts. The plan calls for
implementing a data equity framework, supporting a racial equity training series for staff, and
establishing a racial equity staff survey to enable staff to fully participate.

A survey conducted by Perry Undem on behalf of the Kansas Common Sense Fund reveals
widespread concerns among Kansans regarding health care affordability, reports the Kansas
Reflector. The survey revealed widespread concerns surrounding rural hospital closures and the
high cost of health care, in addition to bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion. Additionally,
there is strong support for government action to improve access to healthy food, expand
childcare programs, and provide tax credits for childcare expenses. Governor Laura Kelly has
proposed measures to address childcare shortages and health care affordability, but faces
opposition from lawmakers attempting to relax childcare regulations.

Washington State has expanded the authority of its Health Care Cost Transparency Board,
according to Northwest Health Law Advocates. Under its original duties, the Board may require
data collection from payers and providers to annually calculate total health care expenditures
and cost growth, establish a cost growth benchmark, and analyze the impact of cost drivers on
health care spending. Washington passed legislation that expands the categories of data and
cost drivers the Board may use in its analyses, and directs the Board to conduct a study of costs
from nonprofit providers and payers not included in total health care expenditures. The Board
may also require certain providers that frequently exceed the cost growth benchmark without
reasonable justification submit a performance improvement plan or pay a civil fine.

A new report finds health care spending in Massachusetts increased 5.8 percent in 2022, well
above the state’s 3.1 percent benchmark, reports WBUR. The growth rate represents the
largest one-year jump since measurement began in 2012, aside from pandemic anomalies. The
2022 growth was below both the rate of growth in the Massachusetts economy broadly and for
regional inflation, but outpaced growth in both national wages and salaries and national health
care spending. The largest contributors to the 2022 expenditure increases were pharmacy
spending and non-claims payments. Hospital services accounted for the greatest share of
2022's total health care spending, with outpatient spending increasing 5 percent from 2021 and
inpatient spending declining 1.4 percent.