health

The United Health Foundation, in partnership with the American Public Health Association, released the 26th edition of America's Health Rankings. This report reflects the various factors that affect the health of American's using a state-by-state analysis. Additionally, the report provides information on the progress of different health initiatives and challenges, a comparison with other nations, health rankings by state, and benchmark measures to quantify how health is changing over the years.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has four new reports available from the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). The data briefs and state tables use survey data from NCHS’ 2014 NSLTCP. NSLTCP provides reliable, accurate, relevant, and timely statistical information to support and inform long-term care services policy, research, and practice.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a new report that shows the premium rebate record since 2011. The Affordable Care Act requires that health insurance companies spend a minimum of 80% of premium dollars on health care, resulting in $2.4 billion in consumer rebates since 2011. CMS' results indicate that consumers are receiving a higher value for their premium dollars as a result of the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR), 80/20 rule.

The National Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), the National Council on Aging (NCOA), and UnitedHealthcare released a survey that collected data through telephone interviews from 1,650 older adults and influencers on aging.The survey posed opinion based questions about the process of aging. The results reflect that 86 percent of respondents felt prepared for aging; however, 40 percent were most concerned about maintaining physical health and over 30 percent worried about mental health and memory.

Every year the Administration for Community Living (ACL) uses U.S. Census data to compile a profile of the U.S. population over age 65. The population of older Americans is experiencing dynamic changes, and monitoring these changes over time is an important part of understanding current needs and preparing for future growth.