Announcement/Press release

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.

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.

On Monday, June 27, 2022 the Biden Administration announced a new model aimed at improving cancer care for Medicare patients and lowering health care costs. CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation designed the Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM) to test how to improve health care providers’ ability to deliver patient-centered care and consider patients’ unique needs. The model will focus on supporting patients, caregivers, and survivors, while addressing inequities and providing patients with treatments that address their individual needs.

On June 22, 2022 The Biden Administration through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released a first-of-its-kind package of resources to address unsheltered homelessness and homeless encampments, including funds specifically to address homelessness in rural communities. The $365 million package includes grant funds and vouchers that will enhance communities’ capacity to address unsheltered homelessness by connecting vulnerable individuals and families to housing, health care, and supportive services. This initiative promotes partnerships with health care organizations, public housing authorities and mainstream housing providers, and people with lived experience and expertise of homelessness.

MACPAC has released its June 2022 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. The report recommends measures that Congress can take to better monitor access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries, improve the oversight and transparency of managed care directed payments, increase access to vaccines for adults enrolled in Medicaid, encourage the uptake of health information technology in behavioral health, and better integrate care for Medicaid and Medicare dual-eligibles. The commission also offers policy levers that states and the federal government can use to promote equity in Medicaid.

The Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) is accepting session proposals for its fall conference, Envision I&R. This conference for I&R professionals will be held October 17-18, 2022, in Baltimore, Maryland. AIRS is seeking proposals across the breadth of I&R service delivery. Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 15, 2022.

On June 2, 2022 20 citizen members were sworn in as members of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). The PCPID is now preparing for it's first public committee meeting on Thursday, July 28, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to to 4:00 p.m. ET. Comments and suggestions from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are strongly encouraged. Comments received by June 30, 2022 will be shared with the PCPID at the July meeting.

On Monday, June 13, 2022 CMS released the 2020 Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment and Program Characteristics and Data Tables. This national data is broken down by program, population, and individual state. The enrollment data provides a snapshot of Medicaid managed care enrollment as of July 1, 2020.

This CMCS informational bulletin provides an update on the 2022 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Spousal Impoverishment Standards. Certain Medicaid income and resource standards are adjusted annually in accordance with changes in the SSI federal benefit rate (FBR) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI). These include some of the standards described in section 1924 of the Social Security Act, which describes the financial eligibility rules that apply when married individuals seek coverage of certain long-term services and supports. Included with this informational bulletin is the revised 2022 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards chart that displays the updated MMMNA and Community Spouse Monthly Housing Allowances.

On May 18, 2022 CMS announced several updates to the Medicare.gov website that make it easier for millions of people to access information to compare and select health and drug coverage and find providers. The updated website features timely initiatives and messages on the homepage and highlights key tasks and information most frequently sought by people with Medicare, people nearing Medicare eligibility, and their families.