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First State-by-State Health System Scorecard to Focus on Children Finds Wide Differences in Health Care |
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From The Commonwealth Fund: States vary widely in the quality of health care children receive, as well as children's access to care, family insurance premiums, equity, and the potential to lead long healthy, productive lives, according to a new scorecard issued by The Commonwealth Fund. The report, U.S. Variations In Child Health System Performance: A State Scorecard, by Commonwealth Fund researchers Katherine Shea, M.P.H., Karen Davis, Ph.D., and Edward Schor, M.D., ranked states on 13 indicators for children grouped in categories that include access, quality, costs, equity, and healthy outcomes. States in the Northeast and Upper Midwest often rank high in multiple areas. In contrast, states with the lowest rankings tend to be concentrated in the South and Southwest. However, there was room for improvement in even the highest ranked states, which fell short of established standards on some indicators. Typically, states that fell in the bottom of the overall ranking lagged well behind their peers on the access to care measure and struggled with other measures. In general, scorecard authors found that children in the bottom ranked states are less likely to get the recommended health care, including vaccines, dental care, and regular check-ups. And, children in those states are at greater risk for developmental delays and infant mortality. Quality scores indicate that across the country children aren't receiving the vaccines they need, don't have access to mental health care for emotional problems and are at high risk for developmental delays, aren't getting their regular medical and dental check-ups, don't have a medical home, and are more likely to end up in the hospital if they have asthma.
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