All States/Territories

ADvancing States is pleased to be a collaboration partner on this important project focused on age-friendly care in rural communities. If you want more information please contact Kathy Greenlee, kgreenlee@advancingstates.org. The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has received grant funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation to establish the National Rural Age-Friendly Initiative, aimed at enhancing comprehensive health care for older adults in rural areas. With a focus on research, partnerships, education, and community outreach, the initiative seeks to address the unique needs of rural populations, who constitute one in five older adults...

WellSky presents a new white paper addressing CMS's proposed Access Rule, which would require the implementation of an incident management system for Medicaid waiver programs to safeguard beneficiaries. This white paper will provide guidance on how to: Simplify reporting of incidents from multiple sources, Triage, investigate, and mitigate incidents efficiently, Standardize critical incident definitions across your network, and Automate the process to ensure timeliness The white paper also describes how to achieve comprehensive oversight by linking several state programs and healthcare providers to a single incident management system.

Join Transit Planning 4 All for two upcoming webinars centered around inclusive transportation planning. The first session will introduce inclusive planning through Transit Planning 4 All's coordinated projects, offering practical examples spanning a decade. The second webinar will explore strategies and lessons learned for establishing steering committees that enhance trust, strengthen communication, and ultimately improve coordinated transportation services for older adults and adults with disabilities. Transit 4 All’s Inclusive Planning Webinar will take place on Thursday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. Transit 4 All’s Steering Committees for Inclusive Transit Planning Webinar will take place on Thursday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m.

On August 15, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin to advise that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 modifies section 2404 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to require that state Medicaid agencies apply the spousal impoverishment rules to married applicants and beneficiaries eligible for home and community-based services (HCBS) through September 30, 2027.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has announced the selection of eight new grantees for the Lifespan Respite Care Program in FY 2023. Among these, seven states - Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington - have been awarded cooperative agreements, with these awards totaling $2,699,847. These agreements are designated for four-year initiatives granted under the State Program Enhancement Grants. The primary objective is to expand and enhance access to equitable respite services for caregivers across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions, while also improving coordination among various state programs. Delaware was awarded an additional cooperative agreement totaling...

The report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ ASPE features key findings from the first year of implementing IRA provisions regarding Medicare drug coverage. The report also includes information on the IRA implementation timeline, and highlights from research reports on the impact of the IRA on the following: caps on out-of-pocket costs for insulin; access to vaccines without cost-sharing; provisions regarding drugs covered under Medicare Part B; and Medicare Part D benefit redesign and out-of-pocket cap.

The CMS fact sheet notes the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 and describes provisions in the law affecting Medicare and Marketplace plans, including a summary of milestones CMS has met. A list of public education tools to help people with Medicare and those who assist them in understanding the changes under the IRA are included.

CMS recently issued several final rules on payment rates and policies fiscal year for (FY) 2024. 1. FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Final Rule — CMS-1785-F and CMS-1788-F Fact Sheet 2. Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Final Rule - CMS-1779-F 3. Fiscal Year 2024 Hospice Payment Rate Update Final Rule (CMS-1787-F) 4. Fiscal Year 2024 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System and Quality Reporting Final Rule 5. Fiscal Year 2024 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System Final Rule (CMS-1781-F)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Rate Update proposed rule. The proposed rule updates Medicare payment policies and rates for Home Health Agencies (HHAs) and other . Estimated Medicare payments to HHAs in CY 2024 would decrease in the aggregate by 2.2 percent, or $375 million compared to CY 2023, based on the proposed policies. The proposed rule also adds new quality reporting program measures, including a measure on the percent of patients/residents who are up to date with the COVID-19 vaccine, and proposes certain technical changes....

The State Medicaid Integration Tracker© is published by ADvancing States and focuses on the status of the following state actions: Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS), State Demonstrations to Integrate Care for Dual Eligible Individuals and other Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Initiatives, Other LTSS Reform Activities, including: Medicaid State Plan Amendments under §1915(i), Community First Choice Option under §1915(k), and Medicaid Health Homes.