The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about Health

Where You Live Matters—To Your Pets

Dog and cat longevity: what Montana, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Massachusetts have in common.

Despite Governors’ Opposition, Strong Southern Support for Medicaid Expansion

New poll shows Deep South politicians are out of step with their constituents on Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid Expansion by the Numbers

The ACA was expected to cover 32 million uninsured Americans by 2022. Six states are on the fence about expanding Medicaid.

Dental Therapists in New Zealand: What the Evidence Shows

This brief provides an overview of New Zealand’s use of dental therapists to provide care for children, and offers insights for U.S. policymakers about how midlevel providers can expand children’s access to dental care, prevent and treat tooth decay, and improve public health.

Oklahoma’s “Life-Preserving” Law Raises Questions for Doctors

Oklahoma’s new “life-preserving” law guarantees end-of-life treatment to patients if they wish. It was inspired by the Terri Schiavo case in Florida.

Safety Net Hospitals Won’t Be Docked in States That Don’t Expand Medicaid

Hospitals in non-expansion states feared they would be hit with bigger federal funding cuts than those in expansion states. HHS says that won’t happen – at least for the first two years.

Cheers! All 50 States Embrace the Home Brew Boom

As of July 1, all 50 states will allow aspiring brewers to make their own beer at home. But states are still figuring out how to regulate the popular hobby.

Attorneys General Seek Warning Label Cautioning Pregnant Women Against Using Pain Pills

State attorneys general are hoping to protect the littlest victims of prescription drug abuse.

Cities, States Face Off on Mandatory Paid Sick Leave

Stateline - NYC and Portland will require businesses to provide paid sick leave. But many states are less than enthusiastic.

State Pharmacy Regulators Back Senate Bill on Drug Compounding

The association of state pharmacy regulators says it’s pleased with a U.S. Senate bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration authority over drug compounders.

Road Deaths Climb in 2012, Ending Six-Year Slide

New England and the Southwest top the country in highest rate of increase in traffic fatalities.

Obama Administration Poised to Approve Arkansas-style Medicaid Expansions

The Obama Administration is inviting states to apply for Arkansas-style Medicaid expansions in an effort to woo those balking at traditional Medicaid expansion.

Finish Line Fast Approaching on Medicaid Expansion

The Supreme Court gave states a choice: Medicaid expansion or not. It’s time to choose. Here’s where they stand now.

Small Businesses Seek Relief from ACA Penalties

Big fines for small businesses are among the possible unintended consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to make the Medicaid expansion optional for states.

States That Skip Medicaid Expansion May Favor New Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens

The law of unintended consequences will strike states that decline to expand Medicaid.

New Health Exchanges Unlikely to End Insurance Monopolies in Some States

The new health insurance exchanges are supposed to lead to lower prices by spurring competition between carriers. But what if insurers stay away?

Motorcycle Deaths Climb as States Repeal Helmet Laws

With fatalities rising, safety experts say states should force motorcyclists to wear helmets. But legislators are heading in the opposite direction.

Infographic: Spending on Public Health Drops

Our public health systems are meant to be at the forefront of prevention, but state and federal investments are shrinking.

Lack of Competition Might Hamper Health Exchanges

The health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act are supposed to give consumers a menu of coverage choices. But will insurers agree to participate?

Hospitals Lobby Hard for Medicaid Expansion

Hospitals stand to lose billions of dollars in states that don’t expand Medicaid. They won’t accept those cuts without a fight.

Fight Over Abortion Rules Could Reverberate Widely

Mississippi could be one step closer to becoming the first U.S. state without an abortion provider after a state hearing Thursday. But the legal fight over the state’s abortion law is far from over, and could have far-reaching implications for other states with similar laws.

After Expanding Coverage, Health Care Pioneer Seeks to Tame Costs

The Affordable Care Act will extend health care coverage to almost everybody. Now states are moving on to the next frontier in health care reform: containing costs. Once again, Massachusetts is taking the lead by putting its health care industry on an annual budget and requiring all insurers and medical providers to make detailed price lists available to the public.

Ex-Felons Are About to Get Health Coverage

Health care will be available to former prisoners through Medicaid.

Tanning-Bed Bills Burn With Controversy

Republican governors take different sides on teen tanning.

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota Dental Therapy Model Goes Nationwide

Christy Fogarty was certified Feb. 15 as the state’s first advanced dental therapist, which is reason to cheer unless you’re 7 year old Tia Seaberry. Tia, wearing pink sequined boots and bluejeans on a recent Wednesday morning, will be forgiven

Expanding Medicaid with Private Insurance

Arkansas and Ohio are pursuing a “private option” for expanding Medicaid.

Baltimore Sun: Advocates, Insurers Duel Over Cost of Child Dental Coverage

Health advocates are concerned that new guidance from the Obama administration could make it more expensive for some low- and middle-income parents to pay for dental insurance for their children once the new health care law takes effect next year.

States Tackle Mental Illness and Gun Ownership

New York’s new gun law requires mental health providers to report on dangerous patients. Will the law harm treatment?

Congress May Reverse Some of Sequester’s Cuts to WIC

An effort to keep the federal government open could also deliver relief to pregnant women, mothers and young children in need of food.

New Database Reveals Thousands of Hospital Violation Reports

For the first time, vital information on the quality and safety of the nation’s hospitals has been made available to the public online.

The News Tribune: Fluoridation: Where the Real Tax Savings Are

Our editorial today argues for restoring Medicaid dental coverage for poor adults. That would cost the state something on the order of $30 million and the federal government more, since it would be paying for a further expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Stateline: Traffic Death Rates Across the States

States with high rates of traffic deaths tend to have a large network of rural roads, low seat belt usage, a high percentage of deaths caused by drunk drivers and a high number of fatal accidents involving speed. Stateline reports.

Politico: 'Dental Therapists' Spark Debate

Some state lawmakers think they've found the solution to the nation's severe dental care access problem, but so far, only two states are using the touted "dental therapists" — and dentists aren’t thrilled about the idea.

Health Care Cuts From Vaccinations to Research

Automatic cuts to federal health-care programs may make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.

Disability Prevalence Among Income-Based Government Assistance Recipients

What share of Americans on income-based government assistance are disabled in each state? The U.S. average is just over 30 percent.

Combating Medicaid Fraud and Abuse

States are targeting Medicaid fraud and abuse with an array of policies and tools. To help policy makers learn about steps taken in their state and across the country, the State Health Care Spending Project created an online database containing hundreds of practices found to be promising by state and federal Medicaid agencies.

Interview: A Southern Medicaid Director’s Perspective on Health Care Reform

North Carolina’s Medicaid chief has been around the program long enough to know that expanding the program isn’t the only way to deliver health care to the uninsured.

Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Proposal to Expand Hygienists' Role Met With Opposition From Dental Society

One year after New Hampshire lawmakers passed a bill expanding the role of some dental hygienists, another bill proposes further reform of the state’s oral health system.

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Prior Exam Rule Hinders Prevention of Child Tooth Decay

We can improve oral health for Hawaii's children. And we should — because the numbers tell a disturbing story.

States Tackle School Safety After Sandy Hook Shootings

At least 20 states are considering bills that would allow some teachers to be armed. Others are focusing on emergency plans and mental health checks.

New York Takes the Lead on Palliative Care

New York State has enacted legislation linking all patients with advanced illness to palliative care. But even as other states look to follow suit, there is a national workforce shortage in this medical field.

Update: Health Care Exchanges

With their deadline past, 26 states have not taken steps to establish their own health care exchanges, thereby defaulting to a federally run operation in their states.

Luring Primary Care Docs into Medicaid

Fearing a shortage of primary care doctors who will take Medicaid patients after the 2014 expansion of the program, Congress has passed la temporary pay raise.

Home Visiting Researchers, Service Providers, Policymakers, and Advocates gather for Third National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting Programs

Today, more than 500 home visiting researchers, service providers, policymakers, and advocates are gathered for the Third National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting Programs in Washington, D.C.

Governors Ask Lawmakers to Prevent Future Shootings

The recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut reshaped governors’ legislative agendas this year, and many used their once-a-year legislative addresses to ask lawmakers to take up gun control, mental health treatment and school safety.

Seizing Medicaid Expansion as a Means to Reform

Alabama aims to make its Medicaid program more efficient, before expanding it. Under consideration is a regional care plan developed in Oregon.

Kentucky Governor Calls for Public Smoking Ban

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has called for a ban on smoking in certain public places, an effort to improve the state’s dismal public health record and to cut down on health care costs.

Honolulu Civil Beat: Bill to Prevent Dental Decay at Hawaii Schools

And a recent Pew Center report gave the state an F for its efforts to prevent decay by improving access for low-income children to dental sealants — clear plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of molars. Hawaii was one of five states to receive a failing grade.

Diving Deeper: Nebraska Governor’s Thinking on Tax Cuts, Medicaid

Few governors are in as enviable a position as Nebraska’s Dave Heineman. The Republican has one of the highest approval rates of any governor in the country, and his state has one of the lowest unemployment rates.

California Healthline: More Calif. Adults Seek Dental Care at Hospital Emergency Departments

More Californians in recent years have sought dental care at emergency departments because of cuts to Medi-Cal dental benefits or the loss of private dental insurance, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.