The Center for Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research is committed to providing policy briefs and white papers which offer analysis of health-related issues framed for a policy-focused audience.
Missouri Policy Publications
Understanding the Impact of Work Requirements on Medicaid-Eligible Adults in Post-Expansion Missouri
by Isha Yardi; Eliot Jost, MBA, MPH; Timothy McBride, PhD | January 2023
The purpose of this brief is to understand the potential effects of enacting work and community engagement requirements for Medicaid eligibility in Missouri post-Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. This brief includes a discussion of whether work requirements are well-aligned with the objectives of the Medicaid program to promote health and wellness among beneficiaries.
The Role of Culturally Congruent Community-based Doula Services in Improving Key Birth Outcomes in Kansas City
by Ria Hegde, BA; H. Ellis McCormick, BA; Hakima Payne, MSN, RN; Abigail R. Barker, PhD | November 2022
This brief reports on data from Uzazi Village, a Kansas City organization providing culturally congruent, community-based doula services since 2012. Improvements in three key health outcomes (gestational age, birthweight, and APGAR scores) were associated with doula services provided by Uzazi Village, in comparison to Kansas City birth outcome data for the same ZIP codes. This evidence can help inform the policy discussion regarding the addition of Medicaid coverage for doula services in Missouri.
Policy and Community Strategies on Diabetes and Obesity
by Abigail Barker, PhD; Hadeer Hegazy, MsC, BCNSP, BS Pharm; Ethan Bradley, MPH; and Leah Kemper, MPH | September 2022
In April 2022, the Center for Health Economics and Policy held a Transforming Healthcare in Missouri meeting to discuss ways to improve outcomes for diabetes and obesity in Missouri. These conditions are critical problems for pediatric and adult populations in Missouri, with Missouri ranking 26th and 32nd among US states for health outcomes related to diabetes and obesity respectively. Experts presented research and intervention models targeted at addressing diabetes and obesity, and event participants discussed these models and other ideas that have the potential to improve outcomes. This paper summarizes the models presented, articulates the collective viewpoints of the stakeholders in attendance and provides policy recommendations developed at the meeting.