Massachusetts

This summary of demographic and economic statistics from 2007 on the non-institutionalized population with disabilities is meant for policy makers, advocates, reporters, and the public. Data include information on the population size and disability prevalence for various demographic subpopulations, as well as statistics related to employment, earnings, and household income. Comparisons are made to people without disabilities and across disability types.

This resource provides tools, contact information, and lessons learned from eight research projects that focused on providing a more stable and qualified workforce. These projects, including state demonstrations and applied research and evaluation programs, are part of the four-year, $15.5 million Better Jobs Better Care initiative. The report compiles the major findings, and the resource catalog provides surveys, policy analyses, training and assessment materials, and many more practical tools.

Since 2002, MetLife Mature Market Institute has gathered data on the costs of long-term care in institutional and community-based settings. This 2008 report looks at home care and adult day services. Costs are broken down by state, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), and “rest of state,” or areas not in a MSA. Home care costs are measured in hourly private pay rates, and adult day costs are measured in daily private pay rates.

This brief, the eighth in a series on working with disability, looks at the employment outcomes of participants in CommonHealth Working (CHW), Massachusetts’s Medicaid Buy-In program. Differences in post-enrollment employment rates, monthly hours worked and earnings, and private health insurance coverage are compared between new CHW enrollees previously covered by MassHealth, Massachusetts’s Medicaid program, and those without prior MassHealth coverage.

Presentations from NASHP’s 21st annual state health policy conference are now available. The conference is planned by state health policymakers for state agencies' staff, legislators, and legislative staff. Review the presentations to learn how others are improving and innovating healthcare through state-level policy.

Answering the question posed in the title is one key to evaluating Medicaid Buy-In (MBI) programs. This issue brief, the fifth in a series on workers with disabilities, compares demographics, health status, and expenditures between these groups. Significant areas of difference that were identified are race, gender, diagnoses, and expenditures.

The purpose of this report is to inform the efforts of states that are trying to develop and improve QA/QI systems by describing and analyzing how selected Systems Change Grantees went through this process. The initiatives examined fall into six categories: administrative technology and information technology; standards for services; discovery; remediation; workforce; and public information.

The Department of Health and Human Services announces $36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans, veterans, and people with Alzheimer’s disease to remain in their homes and communities. About $19 million of this involves a collaboration between the Administration on Aging and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The grants are designed to reach people who are not eligible for Medicaid but are at high risk for nursing home placement and to spend-down to Medicaid.

AARP Bulletin Online has compiled a state-by-state list of local supports to help you quickly access transportation in your community. More than 6,000 transit systems nationwide provide some form of service to older riders, from reduced fares to use of low-floor vehicles to personalized training sessions. This resource puts information about these options in one place.

Approximately 2.4 million young adults had a serious mental illness in 2006. To better understand challenges that will arise as these youth transition into adulthood, GAO was asked to provide information on the demographic characteristics of these young adults, how selected states assist them, and how the federal government supports states in serving them. The data come from national surveys, the Social Security Administration, published research, and site visits.