Stateline Midwest

Midwestern states split on crucial decision of whether to expand Medicaid programs

By
Kathryn Tormey
|
Monday, April 1, 2013 at 09:31 AM

 

Stateline Midwest ~ March 2013

States in the Midwest appear to be split on whether to expand their Medicaid programs, and a leading national expert says it’s the most consequential decision for policymakers since states were first given the chance to opt into the state-federal partnership 48 years ago.

Question of the Month: What is an “essential health benefit” package, and how have states implemented this new federal requirement?

By
Kathryn Tormey
|
Friday, February 15, 2013 at 12:00 AM

Stateline Midwest ~ February 2013

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, all individual and small-group plans available in state health care exchanges must cover certain services, or “essential health benefits.”

States have recently crafted their EHB packages in response to a December deadline — and in order to prepare for Jan. 1, 2014, when exchanges will begin offering health plans.

Fragmented mental health system target of reform

By
Kathryn Tormey
|
Friday, February 15, 2013 at 12:00 AM

Stateline Midwest ~ February 2013

Roughly one in four American adults is struggling with a mental illness, according to the National Institute on Mental Health, and half of them are dealing with more than one disorder at the same time. About 20 percent of American children already have had a mental illness at some point in their lives.

More than half of states miss first deadline for setting up Affordable Care Act health exchanges

By
Kathryn Tormey
|
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 11:49 AM

Stateline Midwest ~ January 2013

Less than half of the states met the first major deadline for setting up health care exchanges under the federal Affordable Care Act. And it’s likely that most states in the Midwest will opt not to have a role in setting up their health exchanges at all.

States that plan to operate their own state-based exchange had to submit blueprints by Dec. 14, 2012. 

Aiming higher: States look for ways to produce more-educated populations to feed economic demand for skills

By
Laura Tomaka
|
Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 11:44 AM

Stateline Midwest ~ December 2012

Under a new set of recommendations in Ohio, half of the state’s funding for higher-education institutions would be based on how well they contribute to a key economic goal: boosting the number of college graduates in the workforce.

In late November, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and a state panel released a higher-education finance framework designed to give greater weight to degree completion in determining funding for the state’s public colleges and universities.

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