Prognosis Ohio

On episode 144, Dan talks with Hailey Akah and Brian O’Rourke of the Health Policy Institute of Ohio about the major findings in their 2026 Health Value Dashboard, a collection of tools and resources that compare Ohio’s performance to all other states on measures of population health, healthcare spending and the factors that influence health. Topics include the three key findings of the 2026 Dashboard, how we should interpret progress in these findings, and how these findings might play in the 2026 electoral year when candidates will be laying out their priorities for Ohio should they be elected. The guests: Haley Akah is Vice President of Operations and Strategy at HPIO and Dr. Brian O’Rourke is a health policy analyst. The host: Dan Skinner is Professor of Health Policy at Ohio University. For more info and to support the show: prognosisohio.com

In this episode, Dan Skinner talks with State Rep. Justin Pizzulli, Republican from Scioto County, and Rep. Anita Somani, Democrat from Dublin, about the bill they are sponsoring to cap taxpayer funded vouchers for private schools at $500,000. As the discussion reveals, the issue is about fairness, fiscal responsibility, but also opens larger questions such as: should public money be transferred to private schools at all?

Dan talks with Dr. Zach Rossfeld, who is running for State Representative in the 7th House district. A hospice and palliative care physician, Zach talks about what his experience as both a physician and at the Ohio Department of Medicaid has taught him about what Ohio needs on the policy level, not only health policy, but housing, education, and beyond. Above all, Rossfeld calls for a radical recentering in the Statehouse of Ohioans' immediate needs even as we build longer term capacity. Two items mentioned in the conversation: Fleishman, What is the Relative Value of a Baby? (registration required) Health Policy Institute of Ohio - 2026 Value Dashboard.