Policy alerts, briefs, letters & papers

This new KFF brief finds that only 45% of all nursing facility residents and 22% of staff are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. That is a sharp drop from the 87 percent of nursing facility residents and staff who completed their primary vaccination series. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines having up to date vaccines as “having received a bivalent booster or having received a final shot of the original vaccines less than two months ago.” The share of residents who are up to date ranged from 73 percent in South Dakota to 24 percent in Arizona. Among nursing home staff, the share ranged from 48 percent in California to 10 percent in Alabama.

This new KFF brief finds that only 45% of all nursing facility residents and 22% of staff are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. That is a sharp drop from the 87 percent of nursing facility residents and staff who completed their primary vaccination series. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines having up to date vaccines as “having received a bivalent booster or having received a final shot of the original vaccines less than two months ago.” The share of residents who are up to date ranged from 73 percent in South Dakota to 24 percent in Arizona. Among nursing home staff, the share ranged from 48 percent in California to 10 percent in Alabama.

This blog post reviews considerations to strengthen provider networks in California to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities receive services that meet their needs. The post focuses on strategies for partnering with three key provider types: (1) community-based organizations; (2) institutional long-term care facilities; and (3) Medicare providers. Lessons from California can help inform other states and Medicaid managed care organizations across the country.

This brief highlights Part D plan (PDP) availability. In 2023, the average number of PDPs available to beneficiaries is 24, up one from 2022. A total of 801 PDPs will be offered in the U.S., ranging from 19 in New York to 28 in Arizona.

This brief describes Medicare Advantage (MA) plan offerings in 2023. Of note, the average number of MA plans available to Medicare beneficiaries in 2023 is 43 compared to an average of 38 plans in 2022. Beneficiaries in 27 counties in the U.S. can choose from 75 or more MA plans.

ADvancing States, with support of the National Council on Aging or NCOA, is pleased to release an issue brief on the NWD System initiative describing the fundamentals of NWD Systems and state partnerships with community-based organizations.

ASTDD has shared a new collection of resources, Older Adult Oral Health Resources for Collaboration. This resource was developed by a workgroup consisting of individuals from state public health programs, academia, and clinicians caring for older adults in a variety of settings. It includes information on the link between oral health and overall health, oral health and chronic disease, special populations, ventilator and non-ventilator pneumonia, nutrition, financing routine dental care, information for non-dental providers, teledentistry and equity.

This brief includes a checklist of eight key questions that can help state purchasers and other payers develop a robust payment and spending strategy focused on advancing health equity. Each question includes concrete state examples for adopting health equity-focused payment methods. This brief is a product of Advancing Health Equity, a national initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is working with states to pursue payment innovations that support health equity.

This brief explores design considerations and policy levers Medicaid agencies may consider for encouraging uptake of tech-enabled innovation within Medicaid managed care. The brief is a product of the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative, which brings together Medicaid programs, their managed care plans, and other stakeholders to spread tech innovations that can improve the health of Medicaid populations. The collaborative is led by Acumen America, Adaptation Health, and the Center for Health Care Strategies and supported by The MolinaCares Accord, CommonSpirit Health, and Hopelab.

This brief highlights key provisions of the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, recently signed into law by President Biden. The law includes several provisions to lower prescription drug costs for people with Medicare and reduce drug spending by the federal government, beginning in 2023. This brief examines the potential impact of these provisions for Medicare beneficiaries nationally and by state.