Aging/Older Adults

The National Academy of Social Insurance released a report on potential designs for universal family care. The report highlights state program design proposals for early child care and education, paid family and medical leave, and long-term services and supports. The LTSS section of the report proposes four design issues states may face in developing a social insurance program for LTSS.

The Leavitt Partners released a report reviewing the Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit, focusing on the program integrity of the benefit. . The report examines challenges and opportunities for Medicaid directors in improving Medicaid NEMT program integrity.

The AARP Public Policy Institute released a report outlining the recent changes to supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage. The report explains the major changes in benefits present in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

This literature review examines the current challenges and future opportunities congregate nutrition programs face as the older adult population increases and becomes more diverse.

This updated advisory encourages financial institutions to report suspected cases of elder financial exploitation (EFE). It also provides new analysis of current laws and reporting procedures.

This new report from ASPE and HUD examines the Support And Services at Home (SASH) program from 2010-2016. The SASH program uses affordable housing properties as a method for delivering services to older adults and individuals with disabilities living in Vermont. The study used a mixed-methods evaluation to examine the effects of the SASH program on health care utilization outcomes, Medicaid expenditures, and Medicare expansion.

This data profile uses data from the Caregiver Outcome Evaluation Study of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). It highlights the differences in demographics and the dynamics between short and long term caregivers.

According to this data brief from the OIG, prescriptions used to treat opioid addiction have increased in recent years. At the same time, prescriptions for opioid painkillers have decreased. These positive results demonstrate the value of awareness, drug treatment, and law enforcement efforts in addressing the crisis.

This report looks at how states with strong MFP programs compare to states without or with limited MFP programs. Findings show that states with more robust MFP programs reduced utilization of institutional LTSS at a higher rate than other states. In addition, these states also rebalanced their LTSS systems more efficiently compared with other states.

This report discusses how HHS can help rural service providers cope with the challenges of meeting the demand for home and community-based services in rural areas. Specifically, GAO recommends the consolidation of information regarding promising practices to allow local officials and rural service providers to more readily access this information.