Fact Sheets

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a section-by-section fact sheet that provides a detailed overview of the new rule finalized in May. The fact sheet explains HHS' implementing regulation for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The rule reviews issues including discrimination on the basis of disability in accessing medical care; value assessment methods used to determine whether a particular intervention will be provided; nondiscrimination in child welfare programs; information and communication technology; and providing services in an integrated setting appropriate to the person's needs. The fact sheet breaks down each section of the rule.

The SAGE National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging released this fact sheet to highlight the changes to Older Americans Act Regulations from ACL. The fact sheet also includes how to be a proponent for LGBTQ+ and HIV inclusion, what the changes of the OAA means for LGBTQ+ and HIV specific community organizations, and how to start advocating for a more inclusive Aging Network.

The Administration for Community Living has released the 2023 Profile of Older Americans, which provides statistics on the U.S. older adult population using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Profile illustrates the shifting demographics of Americans 65 and older. It includes key topic areas such as future population growth, marital status, living arrangements, income, employment, and health.

The Center for Health Care Strategies has provided health literacy fact sheets to help improve health literacy practices. The fact sheets define health literacy, identify limited health literacy, highlight the connection between health literacy and health equity, how to improve written communication and how to improve verbal communication to promote patient health literacy.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) recently released a tip sheet providing guidance to Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees facing difficulty obtaining in-network care. This article addresses the complexities of MA plans, which can restrict enrollees to contracted networks of healthcare providers. Despite strengthened regulations by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requiring MA plans to cover necessary care outside the network under specific circumstances, recent reports indicate issues with network adequacy. CMA emphasizes the importance of MA enrollees and advocates utilizing consumer protections, reporting difficulties in obtaining necessary care, and urging CMS to publicize and enforce these rights.

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) recently announced a new state-based model, Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH), to test approaches for addressing behavioral and physical health, as well as health-related social needs among the Medicaid and Medicare populations. The IBH Model’s goal is to improve the overall quality of care and outcomes for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorder by connecting them with the physical, behavioral, and social supports needed to manage their care. The model will also promote health information technology capacity building through infrastructure payments and other activities...

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...

Older adults may worry about their memory and other thinking abilities, such as taking longer to learn something new. These changes are usually signs of mild forgetfulness — or age-related forgetfulness — and are often a normal part of aging. However, more serious memory problems could be due to mild cognitive impairment, dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease, or other factors beyond normal aging. Many older adults can become more forgetful as they age, which is why it is important to learn the differences between age-related forgetfulness and signs of dementia. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recently released an infographic to help differentiate between age-related forgetfulness and signs of dementia.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that over 20 million Americans have signed up for 2024 individual market health insurance coverage through the Marketplaces since the start of the 2024 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period (OEP) on November 1. This includes 15.5 million Marketplace plan selections in the 32 states using the HealthCare.gov platform for the 2024 plan year and 4.8 million plan selections in the 18 states and the District of Columbia with state-based Marketplaces (SBMs) that are using their own eligibility and enrollment platforms, through December 23, 2023 (Week 8). Total nationwide plan selections include 3.7 million consumers (18% of total) who are new to the Marketplaces for 2024...

The National Council on Aging (NCOA)’s article “Your Mental Health This Holiday and Beyond: 4 Steps to Combat Loneliness in Seniors” notes that loneliness among older adults can be difficult during the holidays, especially for individuals who live alone. The U.S. Census estimates that as many as 27% of adults age 65 and older lived alone in 2020; however, a person may experience loneliness even if they live with other people. Loneliness can affect anyone who doesn’t feel meaningful connections with others. NCOA’s article shares four tips for staying connected with loved ones during this holiday season, including prioritizing communication, facilitating social activities through local organizations...