Delaware
Delaware Takes on High Prescription Drug Costs by Leveraging Public Purchasers
Delaware’s state Legislature has established the Interagency Pharmaceuticals Purchasing Study Group to recommend steps to leverage bulk purchasing of drugs to effectively negotiate lower prices by using interagency and multistate purchasing contracts, and other approaches. The measure easily passed the House on a voice vote and unanimously passed the Senate. The study group has an […]
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Governing Accountable Health Entities: Examples from 12 States
More than a dozen states are developing accountable health models to improve population health and control costs by addressing community needs, such as transportation, recreation, and housing. These entities’ mission — to build healthy communities through cross-sector partnerships — is supported by innovative and evolving governance structures. This NASHP chart and a companion blog highlight […]
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How States Address Social Determinants of Health in Their Medicaid Contracts and Contract Guidance Documents
To encourage investments in population health, states are increasingly using levers available in their managed care and value-based contracts to address social determinants of health, such as housing and employment. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Academy for State Health Policy examined Medicaid contracts and contract guidance documents in 11 states […]
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Health Services Initiative Gives States Unique Tools to Improve the Health of Low-Income Children
With federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) assured through 2027, states can consider using a portion of their CHIP dollars to improve the health of low-income children through innovative Health Services Initiative (HSI). HSIs provide states with a mechanism to use CHIP administrative dollars to fund a range of activities beyond just […]
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States Develop New Approaches to Improve Population Health Through Accountable Health Models
In this time of changing federal health priorities, state health policymakers play a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty and inequity so everyone can live healthy, prosperous lives. Many state leaders, with federal support, are implementing community-wide prevention initiatives that acknowledge that health is affected by factors that extend beyond clinical care. Policymakers […]
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NASHP Identifies State Strategies to Address Mental Health and Education Inequities
State policymakers increasingly recognize the need to address the social determinants of health — housing, employment, education, and income — to reduce health care costs and improve population health. Educational attainment, for example, provides dividends for overall health. People with higher levels of education generally live longer and experience healthier lives. The quality of education […]
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NASHP Awards Grants to Colorado, Delaware, and Oklahoma to Tackle Rising Rx Drug Prices
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has awarded $300,000 in grants to Colorado, Delaware, and Oklahoma to help the states develop innovative policy solutions to tackle high prescription drug prices. With the support from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the funding enables states to explore promising policy approaches to control rapidly escalating […]
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Delaware and Georgia Use Innovative Strategies to Promote Women’s Health in Medicaid
Unplanned pregnancies present a challenge for many women, their families and communities, and are associated with a number of costly health outcomes, including delayed prenatal care, premature birth and low birth weight. Federal initiatives like the Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (IM CoIIN) have helped to engage state leaders in efforts […]
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New Report Shows Increase in ED Utilizations for Behavioral Health – What States Can Do
The Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released an eye-opening study this past week, indicating that utilization of emergency department (ED) services due to behavioral health conditions increased sharply from 2006 to 2013. The brief “Trends in Emergency Department Visits Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders,” highlights a 52 percent increase in ED utilization […]
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The State of State Health Policy: Governors’ 2016 State of the State Addresses
State of State speeches provide governors with an opportunity to highlight recent policy successes as well as outline key plans and issue areas of focus for the coming year. These speeches are generally strong indicators of governors’ main priorities and sometimes also include specific proposal suggestions and funding recommendations for deliberation by legislatures. Currently, 31 […]
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