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Death rates from suicides, drug overdoses and alcohol hit an all-time high in the United States, but some states were hit much harder than others, according to a report released on Wednesday. by the Commonwealth Fund.
The report examined data from the 50 states and Washington, examining in depth 47 factors affecting health outcomes, including insurance coverage, access to physicians, Obesity, smoking, even tooth loss, and state a score. The data is from 2017.
Although the rates of so-called deaths due to despair are increasing at the national level, the report's investigators have been particularly struck by regional differences in rates.
"When we examine what is happening in the central Atlantic coastal states – West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania – these states are recording the country's highest rates of drug overdose deaths," he said. David Radley, Senior Scientist, Commonwealth Fund. I said. Rates in these states are at least double the national average of fatal overdose rates.
West Virginia had the highest drug overdose mortality rate, mainly because of the opioid epidemic. In addition, these rates increased by 450% between 2005 and 2017, according to the report. "The rate of growth in the number of drug overdose deaths in West Virginia is absolutely staggering," Radley told NBC News.
It is not just prescription painkillers and heroin that cause these mortality rates. The authors of the study also report fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids that slip into illicit drugs such as cocaine. Fentanylis looks like morphine, but 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute of Addictions.
According to the report, after West Virginia, the country's drug overdose rates were the highest in the country, namely the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Delaware and New Hampshire.
Death rates from suicide and alcohol also showed regional disparities. Suicides or alcoholism have caused suicide rates higher than those caused by drugs in Montana, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Oregon and Wyoming.
How to stack states
In addition to these mortality rates, the report examined 44 other factors that affect the health of a population to determine the ranking of each state.
Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington, Connecticut and Vermont rank first (Connecticut and Vermont tied for fifth place), while Arkansas, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi ranks last.
What separates the highest ranked states from the lowest? Health care coverage.
"We really believe that access to health care is the foundation of a high-performing health care system," Radley said.
States ranked at the bottom of the list had all the highest rates of residents not covered by health care.
"Without the opportunity to go see a doctor when you need it, you are far more likely to get sick in a way that puts you in the hospital with a manageable disease like diabetes," added Radley.
In 2017, five of the 17 states that did not extend access to Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act had the highest rates of uninsured adults.
"State decisions on extending their Medicaid programs have had a big impact on their uninsured rates," the authors wrote in their report.
Massachusetts, which expanded access to Medicaid and provided further assistance to offset health care costs, had the lowest rate of uninsured adults in 2017, with 4%. Texas, which declined to expand access to Medicaid, had the highest rate (24%).
But rising costs also affect people enjoying health care coverage, according to the report.
"Health care costs are rising, which translates into higher premiums and higher premiums are being transferred to employees," said Radley.
He pointed out that in Louisiana, for example, working families spend an average of 10% of their income on health care premiums. This is money that is spent before incidentals such as prescriptions and copays.
Other southern states have followed similar trends. Employees' average health insurance contributions represented at least 8% of revenues in the states of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Delaware.
The report's authors stated that it was proved that the extension of access to Medicaid had had a positive impact, even in the state that is leading the country in rates drug overdose mortality: West Virginia. The state extended access to Medicaid in 2014, paving the way for better access to drug treatment.
In fact, a Johns Hopkins University study found that opioid drug treatment rates have increased among West Virginia residents who have become eligible for Medicaid after the implementation of ACA. . In 2016, three-quarters of people with opioid dependence were prescribed a medication used to treat their addiction. That accounts for less than a third just before the Medicaid expansion in West Virginia.
Specific information about each state is available in the interactive tool of the Commonwealth Fund.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Life Line for Suicide Prevention at 800-273-8255, text HOME at 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources. .
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