Aging/Older Adults

The AARP Public Policy Institute published a report that examined what state Medicaid agencies need in order to effectively monitor the performance of managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs. Eight states with long-term experience operating and overseeing MLTSS were used to analyze monitoring capacities and develop promising practices. The states were: Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

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) released their monthly report for September 2015 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility, 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.

The Kaiser Family Foundation released an issue brief that analyzes the cost of Medicare Part D drug plans, specifically out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries. A major finding from the brief showed that Medicare Part D enrollees may pay thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket costs if they require a specialty drug, even after exceeding the catastrophic coverage threshold. This study's findings emphasize how important it is for beneficiaries to diligently shop for new plans each year.

This is a report on the lifelong disparities that exist among older American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) populations when compared to the general United States population of older adults. The report includes a definition of who falls into the category of American Indian, identifies where these populations generally live in the U.S., and compares AI/ANs generally with the rest of the population of older adults and also specifically compares health coverage.

States provides data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (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. Data collection for this project began in October 2013 and is reported monthly. Enrollment reached 72.4 million people for Medicaid and CHIP in August 2015.

The Kaiser Family Foundation published an issue brief of the role of Medicaid for People living with dementia. Individuals with dementia generally require a multitude of medical and behavioral health services. Medicare covers some services for this population but there are gaps where Medicaid may need to fill in for payment of long term services and supports (LTSS) for low-income people. This brief includes a fact sheet for explain the role of Medicaid for people with dementia.

The annual 2013 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 annual Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports expenditure report for FY 2013 is now available. The report includes Medicaid expenditures for all LTSS, including institutional and non-institutional settings, by service category and state. This year’s report shows that home and community-based services composed a majority of LTSS spending. Additionally, it explains the changes, summarizes the data, and describes national trends. There is also an infographic depicting the data from 2013.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured released a report that provides an overview of Medicaid enrollment and spending during state Fiscal Years (FY) 2015 and 2016. The results were gathered from interviews with state Medicaid directors as part of the 15th annual survey of Medicaid directors. Enrollment and spending significantly increased in Fiscal Year 2015, which was the first full year that the Affordable Care Act expansions were implemented.