Aging/Older Adults

On Wednesday, June, 15, 2016, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released the March 2016 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. The authorizing statute of MACPAC requires the commission to submit a report to Congress by March 15 and June 15 each year. The report discusses financial and spending analyses as well as functional assessment tools that Medicaid programs use to determine eligibility and create specific care plans.

Milbank Memorial Fund’s Reforming States Group partnered with The New York Academy of Medicine to develop sessions focused on some of the major challenges and opportunities facing states as they work to support an aging population. This report provides a review of the issues discussed at the meetings, as well as recommendations for state policy interventions. The report also focuses on topics of specific interest to state leaders: age-friendly communities; LTSS and workforce.

ADvancing States in collaboration with the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) released the results from a six-state deployment of the National Core Indicators – Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD™) adult consumer survey. While 13 states are participating in the NCI-AD survey in 2016, six of the states - Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, and North Carolina- received their results more quickly.

ADvancing States has released the association’s 2016 policy priorities. The priorities document outlines issues and recommendations regarding a wide range of health and human services programs important to older adults and people with disabilities. These include issues such as: • Implementation of the Older Americans Act reauthorization; • Medicaid LTSS innovations; • Support for caregivers; and • Employment for people with disabilities •

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their monthly report for March 2016 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility determination, and enrollment data. States provides data to CMS on factors related to key application, eligibility and enrollment processes using the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator Project. The data is then used to inform CMS on the operations of the programs in each state and to share state performance data publicly.

UnitedHealthcare Community & State released a White Paper unveiling a proposed quality framework for MLTSS programs. The framework, developed by UnitedHealthcare's National Advisory Board, extends beyond traditional clinical measures to measure the quality of the "services and supports" delivered in MTLSS, which is often most important for those accessing MLTSS benefits.

The Bipartisan Policy Center released a new report, as a part of its Senior Health and Housing Task Force. The report examines the intersection between senior health and living at home, as well as noting the significant limitations of appropriate housing for a rapidly expanding senior population. The report offers a number of recommendations.

On October 6, 2015, a public workshop was convened by the Institute of Medicine and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education to learn about the supports that are needed for community living and maximizing independence. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a summary of the workshop that includes the policy and research that is needed to support independent living in the community.

The annual 2014 Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Report created by the Division of Managed Care Plans and the Data and Systems Group in the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at CMS, with assistance from Mathematica Policy Research, was released this week. Data on Medicaid enrollment is collected from every state, territory, and the District of Columbia, and is broken down into categories by program, population, and state. The report provides tables with nationwide data and data by state.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their monthly report for February 2016 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility determination, and enrollment data. States provides data to CMS on factors related to key application, eligibility and enrollment processes using the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator Project. The data is then used to inform CMS on the operations of the programs in each state and to share state performance data publicly.