Data Graphics

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio today released new analysis that found that if Ohio eliminated racial disparities, by 2050 the state could gain $79 billion in economic output each year, an increase of 10% over current gross state product.

Titled “Unlocking Ohio’s Economic Potential: The Impact of Eliminating Racial Disparities on Ohio Businesses, Governments and Communities,” the analysis is a first-of-its-kind look at the economic potential associated with eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in Ohio, as illustrated in the graphic above.

“Beyond the substantial impacts on people and communities of color across Ohio, disparities in outcomes, such as life expectancy and overall health status, represent missed economic opportunities for Ohio businesses, governments and communities,” the report finds. “By eliminating racial disparities, leaders in Ohio can grow the workforce, increase consumer spending, strengthen communities and reduce fiscal pressures on state and local budgets.”

The report also includes recommended action steps and examples of how states, counties and municipalities across the country are implementing policies to reduce disparities.

“Ohioans of all ages and from all sectors, communities and backgrounds can take meaningful steps to dismantle systemic racism and improve the health and economic vitality of the state,” according to the report.

Support for this project was provided by bi3, Interact for Health, The Columbus Foundation and HPIO’s other core funders.

Analysis included in HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard shows the cyclical connection between health and economic conditions. Improved health of Ohioans leads to greater participation in the workforce and higher earnings, which increases opportunity for better health. As illustrated above, Ohio has experienced a 51% increase in deaths among working-age Ohioans from 2007 to 2021 and the state’s labor force participation has decreased 9% from 2007 to 2022.

The Dashboard found that Ohio can address the serious challenges facing its workforce by building upon the state’s strong manufacturing base, strategic location and educational infrastructure that has attracted recent investments from major employers, such as Intel, Honda, Ford and LG Energy Solutions.

“Further building upon these strengths — including 200 corporate headquarters, 14 public universities and 23 community colleges — can lead to a robust workforce that meets the needs of employers and reinvigorates local communities,” according to the Dashboard. “With strategic investments in vocational education and work supports, more Ohioans can join the labor force and increase their earnings, which will reduce poverty and improve health.”

More information on the topic is available in HPIO’s data snapshot Death Trends among Working-Age Ohioans.

Analysis of data from HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard shows that Hispanic and Black Ohioans face barriers to health care because of costs. Data shows that Hispanic Ohioans are 2.4 times more likely to be unable to see a doctor due to cost compared to white Ohioans, as illustrated above. Black Ohioans are 1.6 times more likely than white Ohioans to face financial challenges to receiving medical care. If disparities were eliminated in Ohio, 76,449 fewer Hispanic and Black Ohioans would face a cost barrier to accessing care.

The Dashboard found that Black and Latino Ohioans often experience worse outcomes than white Ohioans across measures of health, healthcare access and the social, economic and physical environment and that racism and bias are primary drivers of poor outcomes experienced by those groups. These disparities in outcomes lead to missed economic opportunities for Ohio.

Next month, HPIO plans to release a new policy brief that will quantify the positive economic impacts of eliminating racial disparities for Ohio businesses, governments and communities.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released an action guide that highlights policy options for improving employment, one of the social drivers of infant mortality in Ohio.

HPIO recently produced the Social Drivers of Infant Mortality: Recommendations for Action and Accountability in Ohio report as an update to the 2017 A New Approach to Reduce Infant Mortality and Achieve Equity report.

The action guide takes a closer look at the employment recommendations in the Action and Accountability report and provides state and local health stakeholders with additional information and tools to support next steps.

“Employment that pays a self-sustaining wage and offers health insurance and other benefits can pave the way for good health and positive birth outcomes,” according to the guide.

The action guide highlights policies prioritized by HPIO’s Social Drivers of Infant Mortality Advisory Group. For example, one policy recommendation in the brief is for state and local policymakers to expand paid family leave benefits to 12 weeks or more and eliminate or mitigate the impact of waiting periods to access paid leave for public employees. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have paid family leave laws, as illustrated above.

HPIO recently released similar action guides on housing, education and transportation. In the coming weeks, HPIO plans to release another guide on eliminating racism.

The guide and additional tools posted on HPIO’s website can be used to prioritize, advocate for and implement the recommendations.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released an action guide that highlights policy options for improving transportation, one of the social drivers of infant mortality in Ohio.

HPIO recently produced the Social Drivers of Infant Mortality: Recommendations for Action and Accountability in Ohio report as an update to the 2017 A New Approach to Reduce Infant Mortality and Achieve Equity report.

The action guide takes a closer look at the transportation recommendations in the Action and Accountability report and provides state and local health stakeholders with additional information and tools to support next steps.

The guide highlights how transportation affects health and overall well-being in several ways, including by impacting access to care, health behaviors and health outcomes through the ability to get to health care, jobs, school, child care, social services, grocery stores, parks, libraries and other destinations. As illustrated above, Ohioans who are insured through Medicaid face particular challenges with avoiding or delaying care due to a lack of transportation.

Earlier this spring, HPIO released similar action guides on housing and education. In the coming weeks, HPIO plans to release guides on employment and eliminating racism.

The guide and additional tools posted on HPIO’s website can be used to prioritize, advocate for and implement the recommendations.

With wildfire smoke from Canada causing air quality warnings in many states, data from HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard shows that Ohio was already lagging behind most other states on metrics related to outdoor air pollution (as displayed in the graphic above).

Inhaling polluted air (e.g., wildfire smoke), even in amounts lower than current National Ambient Air Quality Standards, increases the likelihood of poor health outcomes. Longer exposure to polluted air further increases negative health outcomes, which include effects on:

• Maternal and infant health
• Lung, heart and cognitive conditions
• Cancers

Analysis of Dashboard data finds that the physical environment, which includes outdoor air quality, has a stronger correlation with the overall health of a state than access to care. This suggests that improving environmental conditions, like air quality, can improve the health and well-being of Ohioans.