StateNetwork.org’s Top Ten Resources of 2019

The ten most-visited resources on StateNetwork.org during 2019 were:

1. 50-State Analysis of Drug Overdose Trends: The Evolving Opioid Crisis Across the States
   • These infographics highlight key findings for trends in drug overdose deaths from 2000-2017, show how each state’s overdose rates compare to the national average, and provide a high-level comparison of all 50 states’ overdose death rates broken down by each of the five drug types.
2. What Medicaid Expansion Means in Your State 
   • This short video explains what Medicaid expansion is. It’s not an expansion of benefits, per se, but rather an expansion of the income requirements necessary for an American to qualify for the public health insurance program.
3. Priority Medicaid Issues for New State Officials
   • This brief highlights priority issues for consideration and potential action, including: the structure of the Medicaid agency; enabling coverage and access; addressing the needs of special populations; and value-based payment policies.
4. Many Adults Targeted by Medicaid Work Requirements Face Barriers to Sustained Employment
   • This study assesses potential barriers facing Medicaid enrollees in meeting work requirements through employment on a sustained basis, using pooled data from the September 2018 and March 2019 rounds of the Health Reform Monitoring Survey.
5. Medicaid: The Basics
   • This brief outlines the basics of the Medicaid program, including financing and eligibility, for new state policymakers in order to lay the groundwork for considering the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
6. Wellness Check: Food Insecurity Among Families with Infants and Toddlers
   • This fact sheet explores the extent to which families with young children continue to experience food insecurity. It also highlights steps policymakers and providers can take to mitigate the impact of household food insecurity on families with infants and toddlers.
7. Championing Treatment for Substance Use Disorder in Primary Care: A Q&A with New Jersey Providers
   • This interview features two physicians who participated in planning New Jersey’s statewide office-based addiction treatment program (OBAT) program and their experiences treating addiction within primary and specialty care settings.
8. New York’s 2014 Law to Protect Consumers from Surprise Out-of-Network Bills Mostly Working as Intended: Results of a Case Study
   • In this report, insurance experts share findings from a case assessing New York’s experience with its Surprise Billing law, five years in to its first-in-the-nation law designed to protect people from surprise balance bills.
9. 2019 County Health Rankings
   • The annual County Health Rankings measure vital health factors, including high school graduation rates, obesity, smoking, unemployment, access to healthy foods, the quality of air and water, income inequality, and teen births in nearly every county in America.
10. What’s the Difference Between Medicaid and Medicare?
    • This short video explains the difference between Medicaid and Medicare. While their names might sound almost the same, Medicaid and Medicare are distinct programs with key differences.