Iowa Ranks Sixth for Health System Performance

The Commonwealth Fund released its 2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, an annual state-by-state report compares access to care, quality of care, health outcomes and health disparities across the US using data on more than 40 measures. Iowa has consistently ranked high in the report, but this year the state saw even more improvement. Iowa is ranked sixth in the nation for overall health system performance and sixth for access and affordability, up one and two spots respectively from 2017. The healthy lives category improved for Iowa as well, moving up four spots to number 12.

More Rural States Vote to Expand Medicaid

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to expand Medicaid access to childless adults whose incomes are below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. In the last two years, multiple attempts in Congress to repeal the ACA would have also ended expanded Medicaid. Where it has been adopted, expanded Medicaid has bolstered finances at rural hospital. The majority of recent rural hospital closures – about 90 since 2010 – have occurred in non-expansion states.

Iowa Hospitals’ Volunteer Programs Earn National Recognition

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has honored volunteer programs at Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids and UnityPoint Health-Des Moines with its Hospital Awards for Volunteer Excellence (HAVE). The AHA HAVE Awards Program is in its 35th year and highlights the extraordinary efforts of hospital volunteers and volunteer programs as well as the value and positive influence their contributions have on hospital patients and staff and the communities they serve.

Study: Without Medicaid expansion, poor skip care

Among the report’s findings: Nearly 20 percent of low-income people in states that did not expand Medicaid said they passed up needed medical care in the past 12 months because they couldn’t afford it. That compared to 9.4 percent in states that expanded the program. And about 8 percent of those in states that did not expand Medicaid reported they either skipped medication doses to save money or took less medication than prescribed. That compared to about 5 percent in states that expanded.

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