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In this report, GAO explores the four agencies that oversee federal falls prevention programs, including the Administration on Community Living (ACL), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. GAO found that these programs serve limited numbers of individuals at risk of falls, including adults with disabilities under age 60. GAO's analysis of national data on self-reported falls from 2020 found that adults with disabilities aged 45 to 59 reported rates of falls and fall-related injuries that were higher than those reported by individuals 60 and over.

The Advancing Health Equity Learning Collaborative is seeking applicants for the next cohort of the collaborative, which will include five teams comprised of Medicaid agencies, managed care organizations, and health care provider organizations or systems. The learning collaborative will help teams develop shared equity priorities, uncover the drivers of disparities in their member populations, and create payment models to support equity-focused care transformation.

On July 19, 2022 MedPAC released its July 2022 Data Book on Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program. This publication provides data on Medicare spending, demographics of the Medicare population, beneficiaries’ access to care, and Medicare program quality. Section 4 (pages 31-38) covers dually eligible individuals and includes information on the percentage of Medicare spending for this population, demographic data, health status, and service use. Within this section, states may be specifically interested in Chart 4-4: Demographic differences between dual-eligible beneficiaries and non-dual-eligible beneficiaries, 2019.

Late yesterday CMS released a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL 22-003) providing guidance for the first-ever HCBS Quality Measure Set, the first of two planned guidance documents from CMS. The HCBS Quality Measure Set is included in the SMD, starting on page 14. The list of measures includes the NQF number (if applicable), measure steward, and data collection method, as well as information on whether each measure addresses section 1915(c) waiver assurances and/or can be used to assess access, LTSS rebalancing, and/or community integration and HCBS settings requirements.

This KFF issue brief describes the anticipated enrollment changes in pathways based on old age or disability (“non-MAGI”) after the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends, state enrollment and renewal policies for non-MAGI groups as of January 1, 2022, and state plans for resuming normal operations when the PHE ends.

This series of three AARP Public Policy Institute and Mathematica Spotlight reports analyze SNAP participation among older adults and the policies that affect it.

This Better Care Playbook profile of the SASH model is part of an ongoing series, In the Field: Spotlight on Complex Care Interventions, that is highlighting how organizations are implementing evidence-based and promising innovations to improve care for people with complex health and social needs.

The Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC) has released a new video about DIAL-- the Disability Information Access Line. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) can help people with disabilities to find vaccine locations, make appointments and arrange for transportation. Trained staff at DIAL can also help people with disabilities track down community supports to help with independent living, such as services that help with health care benefits, financial assistance, housing, food and more. This informational video gives an overview of DIAL for professionals in the housing, health, and other sectors, especially ones working with people with disabilities.

The Narrative Matters section of the October issues of Health Affairs, focused on disability and health, is holding a poetry contest. Health Affairs is looking for poems touching on topics related to disabilities and health by writers who have experience with disability. Family members and caregivers of people with disabilities are welcomed to submit work as well. The winner will receive a $500 prize and have their poem featured in the October issue of Health Affairs. The deadline to submit a poem is July 25, 2022.

When states use a Medicaid managed care delivery system, the contracted managed care organizations (MCOs) generally determine provider payment rates. However, in certain circumstances states may direct payments to providers through the MCOs in accordance with state-set criteria. In this report, GAO describes (1) the use of state directed payments in Medicaid, and (2) CMS's changes to guidance and oversight of these payments.