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Justice in Aging recently released a fact sheet on the annual open enrollment periods (OEP) for Medicare and the Marketplace for the 2024 plan year and highlights issues that are of particular relevance to assisting low-income older adults. Medicare open enrollment is currently underway and ends December 7th. Low-income individuals may be eligible for financial assistance with Medicare costs through the Medicare Savings Program and Low-Income Subsidy/Extra Help. Older adults who are not eligible for Medicare and do not have other health insurance can use the annual fall OEP to enroll in or change 2024 coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplaces...

The LEAD Center recently published a fact sheet introducing employers to the Good Jobs Initiative and the Good Jobs Principles, highlighting their potential impact on promoting competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, the fact sheet offers resources to assist employers in the hiring, accommodation, and retention of people with disabilities.

During Guardianship Awareness Month in October, the National Center on Law and Elder Rights (NCLER) is offering a range of resources for advocates. These resources include recordings of NCLER's ACL-LSC training series, which cover topics like representing clients with differing decisional capabilities and defending against or terminating guardianship. Additionally, advocates can access a Guardianship Awareness Resource Guide, developed in partnership with the National Center on Elder Abuse, featuring trainings, podcasts, and publications related to guardianship and its alternatives. These resources aim to empower advocates in their efforts to reduce barriers, promote autonomy, and protect the civil rights of older adults.

On November 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update final rule, which updates Medicare payment policies and rates for Home Health Agencies (HHAs). This rule includes routine updates to the Medicare Home Health PPS payment rates for CY 2024 in accordance with existing statutory and regulatory requirements. CMS estimates that Medicare payments to HHAs in CY 2024 will increase in the aggregate by 0.8 percent, or $140 million, compared to CY 2023....

On October 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates payment rates and policies under the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system (PPS) for renal dialysis services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries on or after January 1, 2024. For calendar year (CY) 2024, CMS is increasing the ESRD PPS base rate to $271.02 and increasing total payments to ESRD facilities by approximately 2.1%. Additionally, the final rule discusses responses to the requests for information issued in the proposed rule to inform potential future rulemaking regarding updates to the low-volume payment adjustment methodology and the possible creation of a new payment adjustment that would increase payment...

On Tuesday, October 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the latest enrollment figures for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. As of July 2023, over 66.2 million people are enrolled in Medicare; nearly 34 million are enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare and more than 32.2 million have a Medicare Advantage plan. Over 91.5 million enrollees have Medicaid and CHIP. More than 84.5 million individuals have Medicaid and over seven million have coverage through CHIP. Over 12 million individuals are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and are counted in the enrollment figures for both programs.

On Tuesday, October 24th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), released nearly $3.7 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help households with their home energy costs. The funding will help ensure households across the country have the support they need to maintain safe and healthy indoor temperatures, especially as the winter season approaches. LIHEAP is administered by ACF’s Office of Community Services (OCS)...

KFF recently released an issue brief that describes the findings from the organization’s nationally representative survey on Medicare beneficiary satisfaction. The brief, “Overall Satisfaction with Medicare is High, But Beneficiaries Under Age 65 With Disabilities Experience More Insurance Problems Than Older Beneficiaries” presents findings from KFF’s 2023 Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance. Based on the survey, Medicare beneficiaries, overall, are more satisfied with their health insurance coverage than adults with other types of insurance; however, those Medicare beneficiaries under age 65 with disabilities are less likely than those age 65 or older to give positive ratings to the overall performance...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking a Director for the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Director will provide strategic leadership and serve as the senior CMS authority and principal advisor to the Administrator for the advancement of health equity and the elimination of racial, ethnic and geographic health disparities. Key responsibilities include leading the integration of health equity in CMS policies and programs, developing policies to address the unique health needs of minority and disadvantaged populations, supporting CMS centers and offices in advancing health equity, managing a CMS-wide data collection system for minority health activities...

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) have released new updates to the Rental Housing Programs Database (RHPD), offering comprehensive information on state and locally funded initiatives aimed at expanding access to affordable rental housing. The RHPD's purpose is to facilitate a better understanding of how state and local governments utilize their financial resources to bridge the gap between federal rental housing funding and the unmet needs of renters. This resource equips housing advocates, policymakers, and interested parties with insights into diverse programs that can serve as models for addressing rental housing challenges in their own communities...