Medicare

The Partnership for Healthy Outcomes, a project of the Center for Health Care Strategies, Nonprofit Finance Fund, and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, has published a report that captures and analyzes lessons from health care organizations and community-based organizations (CBOs) that are partnering to address both the clinical and the social determinants of health. This report is based on a survey of more than 200 health care related partnerships.

Meals on Wheels of America released a new report, funded by the AARP and Caesars Foundations, titled Hunger in Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for the Aging Network. This first-of-its-kind resource explores a variety of available food assistance programs that can be used in combination to more effectively address the needs of seniors in your community.

IMPAQ International and AARP Foundation recently released an issue brief titled “Addressing Food Insecurity in Primary Care: Models for Patient Screening and Referral.” Recognizing the importance of food security on health and health care outcomes for older adults, the issue brief describes ways in which health systems have implemented food security screening and referral processes, including partnering with community organizations for referrals, and key factors in their success.

The Medicare Board of Trustees issued the 2016 report to Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of the program. Medicare is the second-largest social insurance program in the U.S., with 55.3 million beneficiaries. The trustees projected that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will remain fully funded until 2028, 11 years longer than projected before the Affordable Care Act. Further analysis of expenditure growth overall and each part of the program is included in the report.