Medicaid expansion has improved Ohioans’ health
therapies and psychosocial treatment. Ohio’s grantmakers are witnessing the horrific impact opiate addiction is having in their communities and many are working in partnership with government to address the crisis. Research underway here at Philanthropy Ohio will soon document the investment they are making and the range of activities in which they are engaged.
What we already know is that philanthropic dollars alone cannot reduce overdose deaths and diminished health status resulting from addiction: Medicaid expansion dollars provide significant resources to treat addiction and address the epidemic that claimed the lives of 5,232 Ohioans from June 2016 through June 2017.
The role the expansion has played in addressing addiction is not the only positive health outcome. One in three people enrolled in coverage improved their health status through access to treatment for any number of chronic physical health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Enrollees with mental illness also have been able to improve their access to care for conditions such as depression and anxiety.
The fact that 26,000 individuals quit smoking after being able to enroll in cessation programs is another significant health outcome, as Ohio’s 21 percent smoking rate is well above the national rate of about 17 percent. Since smoking contributes to many of the state’s health challenges — cardiovascular disease, cancer and even infant mortality — the expansion’s role in reducing smoking is a success to be celebrated.
Also to be noted is increased reliance on primary-care sources for treatment and a decreased reliance on emergency-room care. This has an added, intended benefit of reducing the cost of treating chronic conditions.
The report also shows that Medicaid expansion has increased access to care in significant ways. Since its beginning in 2014, Medicaid expansion has been a primary driver in reducing the number of Ohioans who lack health insurance. The percentage of uninsured Ohioans decreased dramatically in the past four years, from 17.3 percent of those aged 19–64 to 9.3 percent. Research clearly shows that access to care is key to improved health outcomes, helping people get and stay healthy.
Medicaid expansion also helped improve the economic situations of many enrollees, with half employed full-time and about one-third working part-time (20–35 hours a week). Having coverage also helped maintain or promote economic security, making it easier to pay for basic needs like food and housing and to pay down previous medical debt. Many of those accessing coverage used it as a transitional safety net and left the program after finding a job, increasing their income or obtaining nonMedicaid coverage.
Ohio has philanthropic organizations with deep experience and commitment to improving the health of residents and working with government to do so. In an average year, Ohio’s philanthropic organizations invest about $250 million in grants related to health. These dollars are increasingly invested based on evidence and research and for this reason we are encouraged by the General Assembly’s requirement that the Medicaid expansion program be assessed.
The independence of this analysis, a collaborative effort between Ohio University, the Government Resource Center at the Ohio State University, OSU’s College of Public Health and the respected research organization RTE International, lends credence to its methodology, analysis and findings.
We hope that current policymakers and candidates running for governor and the General Assembly read the report and use its findings to inform their platforms and future decisions about continued funding of the expansion. It is smart, compassionate, affordable policy that has advanced state priorities.