All States/Territories

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Request for Applications (RFA) detailing model payment, care delivery, quality, and other policies for the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model. CMS announced the new voluntary primary care model in June to improve care and strengthen coordination between primary care clinicians, specialists, social service providers, and behavioral health clinicians as well as address individuals’ health-related social needs. Stating July 1, 2024, CMS will test the 10.5 year model in eight states— Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Washington—and will work with these states’ Medicaid agencies to align their programs with the new model...

On September 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new voluntary state total cost of care model – the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (“States Advancing AHEAD” or “AHEAD Model”). Under AHEAD, participating states will be better equipped to promote health equity, increase access to primary care services, set health care expenditures on a more sustainable trajectory, and lower health care costs for patients. The AHEAD Model represents the next iteration of the CMS Innovation Center’s multi-payer total cost of care models. States participating in AHEAD will be accountable for quality and population health outcomes, while reducing all-payer avoidable health care spending to spur...

On Thursday, August 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the latest enrollment figures for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. As of May 2023, over 65.9 million people are enrolled in Medicare; more than 33.9 million are enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare and more than 32 million have a Medicare Advantage plan. Over 93.8 million enrollees have Medicaid and CHIP; more than 86.8 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 August 22, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), awarded over $1.4 billion for Project NextGen to support the development of a new generation of tools and technologies to protect against COVID-19. Project NextGen, a $5 billion initiative led by ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), coordinates across the federal government and the private sector to advance innovative vaccines and therapeutics into clinical trials, regulatory review, and potential commercial availability for the American people...

Staff in independent and assistive living, nursing homes and health care settings in the community that includes registered nurses, nursing assistants, nursing home dieticians, direct care professionals, other administrations and support employee are invited to participate in a national National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded research study, which offers the “Changing Talk: Online Training (CHATO)” program at no cost. This program aims to enhance person-centered communication skills among healthcare staff when interacting with older adults in various healthcare settings, ultimately reducing resistiveness to care and the need for psychotropic medication in residents with dementia. Successful completion of the three-hour training awards...

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) has recently published a new webpage dedicated to exploring the advantages of workplace flexibility. Additionally, EARN has released three corresponding issue briefs focusing on caregiving, transportation, and equity in relation to workplace flexibility. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace flexibility has become increasingly prevalent, with organizations offering employees the option to choose how, when, and where they work, all in pursuit of cultivating more inclusive, accessible, and equitable workplace environments. This new resource is designed to assist employers in understanding the benefits of a flexible workplace, the different...

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), with partnership and funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, recently published a brief titled “Ensuring Age-Friendly Public Health in Rural Communities: Challenges, Opportunities, and Model Programs.” This brief, the second in a series of publications dealing with the health and wellness of older adults, outlines the status of older adults living in rural environments and opportunities for public health to support them. It highlights existing innovations that engage rural older adults and offers recommendations to ensure all older persons, regardless of geographic location, have access to age-friendly public health systems...

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released an updated version of their "Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker" on September 5th. This tracker provides state-level data on Medicaid/CHIP enrollment, unwinding, renewals, and other measures. Please note that while the tool includes national data reported by CMS, it has a lag of several months and may not reflect the most current Medicaid enrollment status.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have developed the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to assess and quantify the social needs of vulnerable communities at the county level, in each state, during public health emergencies. SVI ranks counties based on four key themes: socioeconomic status, household characteristics, racial and ethnic minority status, and housing type and transportation. This tool aims to help public health officials and emergency response planners identify communities that may require additional support before, during, and after hazardous events, such as disease outbreaks, by considering factors like poverty, access to transportation, and unem

This week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced more than 20 million households have enrolled in the agency’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). With the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the FCC is now helping households across the country connect to the internet and save on their monthly bill. In order to reach today’s enrollment milestone, the FCC heavily engaged local, state and federal organizations to serve as ACP outreach and awareness-raising partners. The FCC has committed over $72 million in grants at the state and local level, with 228 ACP Outreach Grants issued to trusted state, local, and Tribal governments and community partners. If you or someone you know is seeking affordable internet connectivity