U.S. GAO

This report looks at how federal agencies can better meet the nutritional needs of older adults. The study examines how older adults' nutrition is connected to health outcomes and the extent to which federal nutrition guidelines address older adults' nutritional needs. It also outlines the challenges program providers face in meeting older adults' nutritional needs. GAO makes a series of recommendations for HHS and USDA to improve federal nutrition assistance programs for this population.

The GAO released a report to the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means summarizing findings of a survey sent to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) directors about the usability of the Medicare Plan Finder (MPF) website. The MPF website is a resource for comparing Medicare coverage options to help beneficiaries make informed decisions about their coverage. The report also includes other areas of improvement to make the website more user-friendly.

State Medicaid programs are increasingly opting to cover home and community-based services. This report looks at the efforts of various state Medicaid programs, examines their structure, and highlights the challenges encountered. From this review, GAO highlights three main challenges: 1) difficulty recruiting and retaining home care workers, 2) difficulty serving those with complex needs and, 3) limited funding for HCBS services.