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The Partnership to Align Social Care has developed a new resource detailing the roles and responsibilities of Community Care Hubs (CCHs) in addressing health-related social needs. This comprehensive guide outlines the specific responsibilities and functions of CCHs, providing a roadmap for the development of collaborative networks among social care providers. This resource also highlights the potential of CCHs to foster cross-sector collaborations that practice community governance. In addition, the Partnership to Align Social Care recently released recordings from its past webinars exploring the functions of a mature CCH.

The United Health Foundation recently released the 2023 Senior Report, an annual review of the health of the nation’s older adults and a critical tool to help guide individuals, community leaders, and policymakers to make decisions that are informed by reliable data. The report highlights successes and challenges older adults face in a broad range of health measures to help provide a portrait of the health and well-being of older adults throughout the United States. To accomplish this, the 2023 Senior Report collects data on many health measures, including race/ethnicity, gender, rural/urban geography, income, education, and more.

June 5-11th marks the celebration of Medicare Fraud Prevention Week (MFPW), and the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is actively participating in raising awareness and combating fraud. With Medicare fraud costing an estimated $60 billion annually and impacting beneficiaries' well-being, the SMP is dedicated to educating and empowering individuals to protect themselves against scams. Throughout the week, each day will be specifically targeted to a group of people who can help to prevent fraud, including: Medicare beneficiaries Caregivers Families Partners and professionals Health care providers Community members

A KFF analysis estimates that life expectancy in the U.S. dropped 2.7 years between 2019 and 2021, from 78.8 years to 76.1 years, largely due to COVID-19 deaths. American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people experienced the largest decline in life expectancy of 6.6 years during this time, followed by Hispanic and Black people (4.2 and 4.0 years, respectively). Also, provisional data for 2021 show that life expectancy was lowest for AIAN people at 65.2 years, followed by Black people, whose expectancy was 70.8 years, compared with 76.4 years for White people and 77.7 years for Hispanic people. It was highest for Asian people at 83.5 years...

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has released a brief that gauges Medicaid enrollee’s knowledge of and preparedness for the Medicaid renewal process and possible disenrollment from the Medicaid program. The findings are based on a survey of health insurance consumers fielded between February 21, 2023, and March 14, 2023. Key findings indicate that most Medicaid enrollees were not aware that states are now permitted to resume disenrolling people from the Medicaid program, and nearly half of the Medicaid enrollees indicated they have not been through a renewal process, including two-thirds of older adults. The brief also notes that fewer older adults indicate they have provided updated contact information to their state Medicaid agency.

CMS’ recent rule, released on May 23, proposes to lower the cost of prescription drugs covered by Medicaid by increasing price transparency. The proposed regulation would give CMS and states additional tools, like a drug price verification survey, which would verify drug prices to increase transparency about why the costs of certain drugs are expensive for Medicaid and help states better negotiate what the Medicaid program pays for high-cost drugs. CMS also proposes that contracts between states, Medicaid-managed care plans, and third-party contractors, such as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), reflect transparent reporting of drug payment information among third-party contractors...

On May 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a 15-page FAQ document for State Medicaid agencies on the end of the Medicaid continuous enrollment condition. The FAQ document provides additional information and clarification on the Medicaid redetermination and unwinding process. The FAQ includes guidance in the following areas: Returned mail condition, which was added by the CAA, 2023 into Section 6008(f)(2)(c) of the FFCRA and established a new condition for receiving the FFCRA temporary FMAP increase. Medicaid and CHIP resumption of premiums, and the modifications of the condition found in the CAA, 2023, and described in SHO#23-002. Renewals for individuals receiving SSI in Section 1634 States....

The Department of Labor (DOL) has published an article highlighting the representation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander workers with disabilities in skilled trade professions. The analysis, conducted as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Good Jobs Initiative, reveals that approximately 56,000 individuals from these communities, comprising 18%, are employed in skilled trade professions. The article explores various aspects, including common trade professions, age distributions by gender, primary industry sectors employing these workers, and wage disparities between disabled and non-disabled individuals across occupational categories.

The United States Senate has released a report titled "Uninspected & Neglected: Nursing Home Inspection Agencies are Severely Understaffed, Putting Residents at Risk." The report highlights the investigation conducted by the Majority staff, prompted by Chairman Casey's previous concerns regarding the Special Focus Facilities (SFF) program. Findings reveal that State agencies responsible for monitoring nursing homes’ are grappling with significant staffing shortages and insufficient funding, resulting in delayed inspections and potential harm to residents. The report addresses the historical awareness of these issues, the use of third-party contractors, the impact on quality ratings, the utilization of CARES Act funding during COVID-19.

The latest resource from Justice in Aging focuses on Medicare and LGBTQ+ older adults, addressing the challenges they face in accessing and utilizing their Medicare benefits. The publication includes two fact sheets to provide essential information and tips for LGBTQ+ older adults with Medicare and their advocates. The first fact sheet, "Marriage, Medicare, and Medicaid: What Same-Sex Couples Need to Know," covers Medicare coverage rules for spouses and the impact of spousal income on programs affecting Medicare costs. The second fact sheet, "Medicare & Transgender Older Adults: What Transgender People Need to Know," addresses critical issues related to gender identification, surgeries, transition-related drugs, and sex-specific procedures.