SDOH

Health Affairs has published a new blog highlighting the value of improving health and well-being through establishing community care hubs. Hubs are characterized as community-focused entities that support a network of community-based organizations providing services for health-related social needs. The blog complements ACL’s investments to develop and scale community care hubs across the country including the National Learning Community, and plans to administer grants to support community care hub infrastructure.

This report, written by RTI International and the Center for Health Care Strategies, combines information gathered from an environmental scan and case studies to provide an overview of the current landscape of Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) that provide expanded supplemental benefits. It includes their initial experiences and challenges with developing and administering the benefits to their members.

This blog post by Edmondo J. Robinson, M.D., M.B.A., Peter J. Embí, M.D., M.S., Ramanathan Raju, M.D., M.B.A., and Yanling Yu, Ph.D. explores how social determinants of health have led to health inequity during the pandemic. Read the blog post to learn how health literacy and access to technology play a role in bridging the gap in health outcomes.

This report highlights what Medicare Advantage plans, providers, and community partners are doing to address social risk factors for older adults. The report is based off of interviews with over 20 experts from 14 organizations representing health plans, providers, health plan associations, non-profit social service organizations, and service and technology vendors. Findings show an increase in plan activity to address areas of social isolation, transportation, housing, and food.

This n4a spotlight focuses on the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington's Community Paramedicine program. Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities of Southwest Washington (AAADSW) has integrated health care and long-term services and supports by partnering two different Accountable Communities of Health in Washington state: Cascade Pacific Action Alliance (CPAA) and Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health (SWACH).

This brief describes the racial disparities in access to oral health and oral health outcomes. Coverage is a key factor in reducing the existing disparities. This brief proposes adding oral health as a Medicare benefit as a potential solution. It also proposes additional policy options aimed at reducing disparities beyond expanding oral health coverage,

The Urban Institute conducted a series of interviews with Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Advantage experts, and social service providers to better understand how health plans were responding to CMS’s new flexibility with regards to supplemental benefits. This report presents the findings from these interviews. It also explores possible policy changes to further support supplemental benefits and describes what funding and resources are available for state to administer these benefits.

This report examines 40 Medicaid managed care contracts and 25 approved Section 1115 demonstrations. It identifies common themes across state approaches to incentivizing and requiring SDOH-related activities. CHCS also provides several additional policy recommendations for bolstering SDOH investment in state Medicaid offices.