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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2004

 

 NATIONAL REPORT CRITICIZES MISSISSIPPI

FOR OVERUSE OF NURSING HOMES

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 30, 2004) –  An assessment of health care in the 50 states, released here today, criticizes Mississippi for a bias toward institutional living in its long-term care programs. The report finds that a far higher percentage of its long-term care spending goes to nursing homes than in most other states, with relatively little spent on home and community-based services. The article appears in the February issue of Governing magazine.

 

“Nationally, there’s been a dramatic shift that is helping to keep more older and disabled people in their homes,” says Richard Greene, co-author of the report. “But that shift hasn’t occurred in Mississippi.” Federal data compiled by the Medstat Group, shows that the Magnolia State spent only 12.6 percent of its long-term dollars on home care in 2002; only Louisiana was worse at 9.8 percent. By contrast, Alabama devoted 23 percent of long-term care dollars to such services and North Carolina spent 39.4 percent of its long-term dollars on home care.

 

The report also noted that Mississippi continues to be on the negative end of 50-state rankings for many health indicators. In 2002, it had the highest percentage of pre-term births and low-birthweight babies, and second-worst in infant mortality, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. On a positive note, it has greatly increased the number of children enrolled in its Children’s Health Insurance Program and ranks a respectable, if not impressive, 33rd in its rate of uninsured children.

 

Governing’s analysis of state-funded health care is part of the Government Performance Project, a six-year-old effort, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, to evaluate a wide range of state government management and policy functions. This year’s special report focuses on six critical health care problems facing states: long-term care, public health, mental health, prescription drugs, access to care for the uninsured, and care for children.

 

The Government Performance Project found and documented the inability of the 50 states’ health care system to deliver improvements in medicine fairly and consistently to many of their citizens. Health care in most states is not just inadequate, the study concluded--it’s deteriorating. “After exhaustive analysis and hundreds of interviews,” says Peter Harkness, Governing’s publisher and editor, “it became clear that there is a health care crisis in America. But it is in no way a medical crisis. It is a fiscal crisis.” 

 

Governing is a policy and management magazine aimed at high-level state and local government officials. An online version of this report will be available at http://www.governing.com/gpp/2004/intro.htm as of January 29.  Press releases for each of the 50 states can be found at http://www.governing.com/gpp/2004/press.htm.

 

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