IN BRIEF: Ohio Expects To Be Flooded With Medicaid Applicants; Hospitals Make Big Quality Gains; Lead Poisoning In Illinois Plummets
Ohio Expects To Be Flooded With Medicaid Applicants After 2014
The State of Ohio has predicted that as many as 400,000 residents will join the Medicaid rolls after 2014, a number whose proportion is significantly at odds with neighboring states.
The data was released last week by Gov. John Kasich’s office. Although Ohio has more population than neighboring Indiana and Michigan, those states are predicting Medicaid bumps of 92,000 and 15,000 through 2015.
Pending next week’s Presidential election results, Medicaid rolls are expected to expand in 2014 as the result of the Affordable Care Act.
The actuarial data provided by Kasich’s office predicts as much as a 50% “uptake” rate by those eligible to enroll in the Medicaid program, compared to actuarial reports elsewhere suggesting an uptake rate of around 15% in other states.
In addition to the increase, Kasich’s staff is predicting the increase will cost Ohio about $940 million per year.
However, the figures offered by Kasich have been questioned by organizations such as the Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio and the Health Policy Center at the Urban Institute.
Buckeye State Hospitals Make Big Quality Gains
Ohio’s hospitals dramatically improved their ratings in the most recent Healthgrades survey, making it among the highest-ranking states for surviving heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and heart failure.
According to the 2010 data from Healthgrades, hospitals in the Buckeye State ranked first in the nation for heart attacks, up from 16th in 2009. It finished second for stroke survival, up from 24th in 2010. It finished third for heart failure, up from sixth from 2009 and 14th in 2008. And it placed fourth in the nation for pneumonia survival, compared to 14th in 2010.
Officials said the state’s hospitals collaborated with one another, introducing various initiatives designed to improve patient outcomes, and working closely with the Quality Institute of the Ohio Hospital Association.
“Through collaboration and engagement, hospitals are learning from each other and other healthcare organizations to achieve their best delivery of patient care,” said David Engler, vice president of the OHA Quality Institute.
Lead Poisoning In Illinois Plummets
Lead poisoning rates in Illinois have dropped by 93 percent since 1997, according to the state Department of Public Health.
According to state data, 3,164 children younger than 6 years old in Illinois had elevated levels of lead in their blood in 2011. That compares to 45,809 in 1997. State officials say continued bans on materials containing lead, such as paint, contributed to the decline.
"Although childhood lead poisoning rates in Illinois remain high, we are extremely pleased that the coordinated, strategic efforts of our Illinois Lead Program have worked toward such a dramatic decline in the number of lead poisoned children statewide," said Illinois Department of Public Health Director LaMar Hasbrouck, M.D.
