Accessibility

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that 64 prescription drugs will have lower Medicare Part B coinsurance rates from July 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024. This is thanks to the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program that lowers the cost of certain prescription drugs under Part B that have increased in price faster than the rise of inflation. Drug companies are required to pay rebates to Medicare through this program. CMS will begin invoicing no later than Fall 2025.

On May 31, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the latest enrollment figures for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. As of February 2024, over 67 million people are enrolled in Medicare; more than 33.3 million are enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare, and over 33.7 million are enrolled in Medicare Advantage or other health plans. Over 83.3 million enrollees have Medicaid and CHIP. More than 76.2 million individuals have Medicaid, and nearly 7.1 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 May 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled its newly revamped CDC.gov website, marking a significant step forward in the agency’s commitment to better communicate with the public. Internal and external reviews of agency operations were conducted after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The result was the CDC Moving Forward effort, which launched numerous initiatives to strengthen the speed and clarity of agency communications. The newly streamlined website is the culmination of extensive user testing and feedback, ensuring that vital health information is more accessible and easier to find for all audiences...

On Friday, April 26, 2024 the HHS Office of for Civil Rights (OCR) finalized a rule to advance health equity and reduce disparities in health care. The Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Final Rule strengthens nondiscrimination protections under Section 1557 for any health program that receives HHS funding. The unpublished version of the rule is available online and the rule will be formally published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2024.

On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) finalized a rule that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance (Section 504) Final Rule provides robust civil rights protections for people with disabilities in federally funded health and human services programs, including Medicaid and OAA programs. The unpublished version of the rule is available online and the rule will be formally published in the Federal Register on May 9, 2024.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released an article providing an overview of the laws that federal agencies must comply with to provide people with disabilities access to accommodations to ensure they are able to participate fully in the workplace. The article focuses on accommodations that improve access to job facilities, physical spaces, and information technology. These include accommodations like automated doors, handrails and stair treads, accessible parking spaces, and adaptive computer hardware and software, providing ASL interpreters, and providing written materials in large print or Braille...

On January 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the “CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule” (CMS-0057-F) to improve the electronic exchange of health information and prior authorization process for medical items and services. The final rule applies to Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations, state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Fee-for-Service (FFS) programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities, and Qualified Health Plan (QHP) issuers on the Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFEs). This final rule establishes requirements for certain payers to streamline the prior authorization process generally starting January 2026 and complements the Medicare...

The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released updated guidance requiring federal agencies to improve their digital accessibility for people with disabilities. Currently, 61 million Americans live with a disability, but nearly half of the most popular Federal Government websites are not fully accessible to all Americans. The new guidance establishes the required leadership, goals, and a renewed focus to improve digital accessibility across the federal government...

On November 16, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new Language Access Plan, which includes critical actions to improve access to HHS programs and services for people with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency. With provisions that specifically address the effective communication and accessibility requirements found in sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the HHS Language Access Plan is the latest in a series of important actions taken by ACL and our partners across federal government over the last several years to uphold the rights of people with disabilities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced that beginning Monday, September 25th, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered to their home.