Healthcare Costs Soar as Ohioans Battle Poor Health

TL/DR –

Approximately 2.2 million people in Ohio, equivalent to one in five families, spent over 10% of their annual household income on healthcare costs in 2021, despite a reduction in the uninsured rate over the past decade. According to a report from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, the state ranks 44th in the country for health value, meaning residents are less healthy despite high healthcare spending. One cause of this may be preventable emergency department visits, with Ohio ranking fifth from last out of 49 states regarding this issue in 2021.

Affordable Health Care Out of Reach for Many Ohioans

Despite the insured rate in Ohio halving from 14% to 7% between 2010 and 2022, affordable health care eludes over 2 million residents. In 2021, 1 in 5 families, nearly 2.2 million residents, spent over 10% of their annual income on health care expenses.

This data hails from the latest research by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO), a nonpartisan institute that benchmarks Ohio’s health against other states.

Ohio’s Health Value Ranked Low

HPIO’s study ranks Ohio as the 44th state in health value, a metric blending health outcomes and spending. Despite outspending many other states on health care, Ohioans are less healthy. “We’re not getting good value,” states Amy Rohling McGee, HPIO’s president.

Preventable Emergency Department Visits Inflating Costs

One key contributor to Ohio’s high health care costs is preventable emergency department visits. The report finds that residents, even those with employer-based insurance, often opt for emergency department over primary or urgent care. In 2021, approximately 143 out of 1,000 Ohioans with employer-provided insurance visited the emergency room for non-emergencies, ranking Ohio fifth from the bottom among the 49 states with available data.

This high rate of preventable emergency visits suggests that Ohioans might be delaying care until conditions worsen and become costlier to treat. McGee posits that better access to primary care could improve health outcomes and reduce expenses.

Negative Implications of Preventable Emergency Visits

The federal government views preventable emergency department visits as a negative indicator due to their significant costs and burden on emergency departments. While the Affordable Care Act made preventive services free, issues of access and distance are likely larger barriers to acquiring care, according to McGee.

Over 40 of Ohio’s 88 counties, mostly in northeast Ohio, face significant health professional shortages, states the Ohio Department of Health. This lack of professionals further impedes Ohioans’ access to essential care.

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