State Health Facts Data Updates

Data Update Statehealthfacts.org has recently added new and updated data on Health Costs & Budgets, Managed Care & Health Insurance, Medicare, Health Status, Providers & Service Use, and Demographics and the Economy. You can also view a list of all recent updates. Health Costs & Budgets Employer-Based Premiums Updated data on employer-based insurance premiums from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)'s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) are now available by state. These include the average annual cost for single coverage, family coverage, and employee-plus-one coverage for 2006. The average share of the premium contributed by employee and employers are also available for all coverage types. Managed Care & Health Insurance Tax Deductions for Health Insurance New 2008 information from Thomson West's Health Policy Tracking Service (HPTS) on states that allow individuals to deduct health savings accounts contributions on their state income tax returns. Also available from HPTS is new information on state authorization of tax credits or deductions for small employers offering health insurance. Medicare Medicare Service Use New 2006 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Medicare service use are now available for all states and the nation. Data include the total number of covered days of care for Medicare beneficiaries discharged from short-stay hospitals; total number of covered admissions and covered days of care for skilled nursing facility services; total number of covered days of care per person served for hospice services; and total visits and visits per person for Medicare home health services. Data on the number of persons served by hospital outpatient services and physician and supplier services have also been added for 2006 and are available for all states. Health Status Disability and Physical Activity Updated data from the CDC’s 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) on the average number of days with limited activity per month among adults and the percent of adults who participate in moderate or vigorous physical activity per month are now available for all states and the nation. Violent Crime The latest information from the U.S. Department of Justice on the overall rate of violent crime offenses has been added for 2006 for all the states and the nation. Providers & Service Use Medical Malpractice Updated 2007 data from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s analysis of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) are now available on the number of paid medical malpractice claims and total malpractice payments for all states and the nation. Physician Assistants and Registered Nurses Updated state-by-state data from the American Academy of Physician Assistants on the total number of physician assistants are now available for 2008. The latest information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the total number of registered nurses has also been added and is available for all states and the nation. Medical School Graduates Updated information from the American Medical Association on the number of medical school graduates, including the distribution of medical school graduates by gender and race/ethnicity, is now available for 2007 for all states and the nation. Demographics and the Economy Food Stamp Program Updated data from the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service are now available for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 and include trends in the monthly average number of persons participating in the food stamp program, average monthly food stamp benefits, and food stamp program total benefits from FY 2002 through FY 2007 for all states and the nation. Gross State Product Updated information from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on gross state product has been added for 2007 for all states and the nation.