Health Equity
America’s Essential Hospitals was founded on a vision of equity in health and health care, and essential hospitals have long fought against pervasive systemic and structural racism in the United States. More than half of our member hospitals’ discharges are people of color. Injustices from structural racism create health inequities along racial and ethnic lines that disproportionately affect the marginalized communities served by members of the association.
America’s Essential Hospitals is tracking and analyzing state initiatives in the health equity space to inform our members’ efforts to advocate for and serve these communities.
Questions
Contact us at state@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0100.
Oregon Builds Health Care Bridge Program, Prioritizes Equity
May 10, 2022 ||The bridge program task force will create a proposal for affordable, continuous health insurance coverage for individuals with frequent income fluctuations.
view more »LGBTQ Health Care Issues in State Legislatures
March 21, 2022 ||At least 20 states are pursuing legislation to limit access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, while some states have proposed legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
view more »New Priority Areas, Search Function for Association’s State Action Page
Jan. 24, 2022 ||The relaunched members-only state action page now includes a search-by-state tool and specific areas focused on state responses to COVID-19 and health equity.
view more »N.Y. Governor Highlights Health Care Workforce, Equity Initiatives
Jan. 10, 2022 ||New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) gave her first State of the State address, highlighting plans to retain and grow the state’s health care workforce and invest in initiatives to advance health equity.
view more »Presidential Health Equity Task Force Highlights State Innovation
Nov. 18, 2021 ||As part of its final report and implementation plan, the Presidential Health Equity Task Force highlighted several states and communities that are improving equitable health care, including California’s efforts to expand broadband services, the Cherokee Nation’s vaccination efforts, and more.
view more »Medicaid Directors Survey Examines COVID-19 Impact, Equity Efforts
Nov. 2, 2021 ||The Kaiser Family Foundation’s annual survey of Medicaid directors finds significant changes to Medicaid programs related to COVID-19, as well as increased state efforts to address social determinants of health and improve health equity. A companion survey examined Medicaid spending trends.
view more »Colo. Addresses Barriers to Care for LGBTQ Population
Oct. 14, 2021 ||Colorado expanded its essential health benefit benchmark plan to enhance coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care, effective January 2023. This expansion is the first of its kind to be approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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State Policy Snapshot: Addressing Maternal Health and Equity
Sept. 2, 2021 ||
This State Policy Snapshot summarizes how states are working to improve maternal health and equity through Medicaid Section 1115 waivers, provider training, community-based services, and panels to investigate maternal deaths.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Targeted Vaccine Campaigns
April 27, 2021 ||As COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, several states — including California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Washington — have created targeted campaigns to reach marginalized populations disproportionately affected by the public health emergency.
view more »States Pursue Transgender Health Legislation
April 6, 2021 ||At least 29 bills in 17 states involve health services for patients who are transgender, and many of these efforts specifically focus on youth populations. Several states proposed restricting access to transgender health care, by prohibiting or criminalizing gender-affirming care.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Vaccinating Homeless Populations
March 16, 2021 ||People experiencing homelessness face barriers to vaccination, including lack of transportation, limited availability of technology, and no established connection to a health care provider. More than 30 states have specifically prioritized vaccinations for homeless populations.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Addressing Vaccine Disparities
Feb. 23, 2021 ||So far, 26 states and Washington, D.C., publicly report varying data on race and ethnicity for individuals who have received the vaccination. States also have taken different approaches to addressing disparities in vaccine administration and vaccine hesitancy.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Targeted Testing of Vulnerable Populations
Oct. 27, 2020 ||The Department of Health and Human Services distributed a lateral flow COVID-19 diagnostic test to states and territories across the country. Several states — including Arkansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New York, Oregon, and Utah—are using the tests to target vulnerable populations.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Calif. Equity Measure, Crisis Counseling Grants
Oct. 13, 2020 ||California released a Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which includes an equity measure to ensure California reopens its economy safely by reducing disease transmission in all communities. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded crisis counseling grants to more than 30 states.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Prioritizing Testing for Vulnerable Populations
Sept. 21, 2020 ||As the country works to expand COVID-19 through testing, every state has submitted a testing strategy to the federal government. Most state plans prioritize vulnerable populations and offer testing for uninsured individuals.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Health Disparities, State Policy Impact
June 30, 2020 ||New York will require the state health department to conduct a study on the health impact of COVID-19 on minority populations. A new data and visualization tool released by John Hopkins University provides insight on the effect of state stay-at-home and recovery policies across the U.S.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Disparities; Recovery; CARES Funding
May 26, 2020 ||Several states have created task forces to examine racial disparities related to COVID-19. A new tracker shows which states have stay-at-home orders or plans to resume elective procedures. States have authority to allocate CARES Act funding how they see fit, and several states have begun to do so.
view more »States Respond to COVID-19: Postpartum Medicaid Coverage, Contact Tracing
April 28, 2020 ||Virginia and Washington have paused proposals to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage for low-income women, due to budget constraints resulting from the pandemic. States are engaged in contact tracing to curb the spread of COVID-19, and 24 states enacted budgetary measures related to the emergency.
view more »States Split on Medicaid Coverage for Transgender Health Care
Aug. 13, 2019 ||Eight states prohibit Medicaid coverage for gender reassignment services, while 22 states have policies explicitly prohibiting gender-based discrimination in health care.
view more »Calif. First to Expand Medicaid to Undocumented Young Adults
July 16, 2019 ||The expansion, which takes effect in 2020, applies to low-income residents ages 19 to 25, regardless of immigration status. The state estimates more than 100,000 undocumented young adults will be eligible for the expanded coverage.
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