Missouri Medicaid enrollment down nearly 200,000 since unwinding began

Written by Timothy McBride, co-director of the Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research May 2024 (updates based on April 2024 state administrative data). As the process of unwinding (from the Public Health Emergency) continues, total net enrollment in Missouri’s Medicaid program continues to drop: down nearly 200,000 (down -197,525) to 1,319,166 from the […]

Medicaid enrollment in Missouri begins; applications appear vigorous

Written by Timothy McBride, co-director, Center for Health Economics and Policy The expansion of Medicaid in Missouri began in 2021, and after resolution of a lawsuit at the Missouri Supreme Court in July, enrollment applications were accepted starting on October 2021. As of January 21, 2022, enrollment in the adult expansion group (AEG) had reached […]

Center creates user-friendly Missouri Medicaid Enrollment Tracking tool

The Center for Health Economics and Policy at the Institute for Public Health has launched the Missouri Medicaid Enrollment Tracking Dashboard, as a resource for the community to track the impact of Medicaid expansion on Missouri Medicaid enrollment.  Timothy McBride, PhD, co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy says, “We are excited to […]

Center reports recommendations for maternal health policy changes in Missouri

Maternal and infant health is a critical problem for Missouri and the rest of the United States. While many other health metrics have improved in the U.S. in recent decades, outcomes for mothers and infants have worsened. Maternal mortality rates in Missouri and nationally have been rising in recent years; Missouri’s rate exceeds the national […]

Center issues report on benefits of expanding Missouri’s Primary Care Health Homes Program for the chronically ill

The Center for Health Economics & Policy has released a report suggesting that Medicaid recipients can receive better quality, comprehensive home care by expanding the state’s “Primary Care Health Homes” (PCHH) program. The program currently enables patients with at least two chronic health conditions (heart problems, diabetes, etc.) to receive extra help managing their health […]

Center releases analysis of what’s ahead for Medicaid expansion in Missouri

By Kim Furlow, communications manager & Timothy McBride, Co-director of the Center for Health Economics & Policy at the Institute for Public Health Since Medicaid expansion was passed by voters in Missouri in August 2020, the Center for Health Economics & Policy at Washington University has been producing analyses to help state and local service […]

New report shows disproportionate COVID-19 impact

As stated in its introduction, a new research brief citing research from the Center for Health Economics & Policy “aims to quantify COVID-19-related health disparities in the St. Louis region using ZIP code-level data on confirmed cases and demographic composition.” Mirroring racialized COVID-19 trends in other metropolitan areas, the report focuses on observed, yet unexplained, […]

Center for Health Economics & Policy offers new tool to help researchers

Written by Kim Furlow, communications manager for the Institute for Public Health Our Center for Health Economics and Policy is helping Washington University researchers get policy-focused research circulated to a broader audience through policy briefs. Our center’s newly-created Policy Brief Toolkit is designed to help researchers translate research findings into policy briefs, which can be […]

Medicaid Work Requirements: What Would the Impact be in Missouri on Enrollment, Costs and Health?

Written by Linda Li, MPH, Abigail Barker, PhD, Leah Kemper, MPH, Timothy McBride, PhD | February 2019 In 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced support for state efforts to condition Medicaid coverage on fulfilling a work requirement. For the first time in the program’s history, certain beneficiaries can be required to […]

Policy matters for doctors-in-training & their future patients

Written by Akua Nuako, medical student class of 2021, Washington University in St. Louis I am often awestruck by the ingenuity of today’s medical advancements. During my first year of medical school, I’ve been captivated by research on promising developments like cancer treatments that only target malignant cells, gene editing that addresses health issues rooted […]

Moving toward a healthier Missouri: Re-instituting therapy services in Missouri Medicaid

Originally posted by the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, written by Mary Mellem, Gary Parker, and Atia Thurman In October 2017, the Center for Health Economics & Policy at the Institute for Public Health and the Clark-Fox Policy Institute at the Brown School at Washington University hosted Transforming Healthcare in Missouri: Ideas for Innovation and Investment to generate […]

Repeal or replace? Is a bipartisan approach to repairing Obamacare feasible?

Written by Timothy D. McBride, PhD, MS, co-director for the Center for Health Economics and Policy  The effort to “repeal and replace” Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act, ACA) has been a major goal of the Republicans since the ACA was passed. Achieving this goal has been elusive – first President Obama blocked all such efforts, […]

Transforming healthcare by transforming payment

The Center for Health Economics and Policy co-hosted a major health policy event this October. Together with the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, we convened nearly 150 providers, researchers, policymakers, and patient advocates to discuss ideas for transforming healthcare in Missouri. One theme repeated throughout the day was that we as a society need to shift our […]

Facilitating health insurance enrollment and decision support

Written by Mary Politi, PhD, professor in the School of Medicine At the time of publishing, Mary Politi was an associate professor in the School of Medicine At an enrollment event in 2015, I met a woman from a rural county in Missouri who was an outspoken supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She […]

Drug policy, public health, and wellness

Written by Richard Grucza, PhD, MPE, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine My colleagues and I have long been interested in policies that restrict young peoples’ legal access to alcohol and tobacco. We’ve learned that restricting drinking or smoking during the teen years has long term benefits such […]

Public health and social work in the political process

I recently returned to Washington University after a yearlong stint as the American Public Health Association’s Public Health Fellow in Government in Washington D.C. While there, I worked as congressional staff for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York). This fellowship offered a chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to work directly on federal policymaking. While challenging, scary, and sometimes even comical, this experience was […]

Drug pricing: Where do we go after the election?

Martin Shkreli. Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Mylan. Just a year ago, most Americans devoted little time and attention to the question of pharmaceutical pricing. Now, after a series of highly publicized scandals involving individuals and companies who hike the prices of products like the EpiPen or Daraprim with impunity, public awareness of these issues has dramatically increased […]

Why policy* is the perfect fit for public health and social work professionals

Written by Susan Stepleton PhD, chair of the policy specialization at the Brown School When I mention to someone that I work at the Brown School, a typical assumption – voiced or unvoiced – is “Oh, you teach about poverty or epidemiology or child welfare or LGBTQ issues or homelessness.” Well, yes, of course we […]

Center for Health Economics & Policy to offer technical assistance through the Just-In-Time Funding Program of the ICTS

The Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) has become a Core eligible for funding through the Just-In-Time (JIT) Core Usage Funding Program, offered by the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS). This program is designed to provide quick access to funding to utilize technical assistance available through ICTS-affiliated Cores, including CHEP, to support research advancing […]

Center for Health Economics & Policy funds two pilot projects

The Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) pilot program announces funding for two projects in the inaugural round of funding from CHEP. The funding for these year-long projects begins on September 1, 2016. Correlates of Enactment of State Legislation Related to HPV Vaccines PI: Amy Eyler Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted […]

Economics, policy, and racial disparities

Health disparities has been an important topic for public health researchers for years, with much or most of the focus on disparities across racial groups in the US, where we see wide disparities on almost every outcome measure. In the St. Louis area and region, health disparities remains a critical topic where if anything the […]

Center for Health Economics & Policy launches

Washington University in St. Louis has announced the launch of the Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP), to be housed in the Institute for Public Health. The goal of the new center is to improve population health in America by encouraging health policy and economics research and dissemination. The center will be co-directed by […]