Reports

This white paper discusses the issue of dental insurance coverage. Traditional Medicare does not include coverage for routine oral health care, creating disparities in access to checkups, cleanings, and x-rays, or restorative procedures, tooth extractions and dentures. This paper recommends a Medicare Part B dental benefit to close the gap between uninsured and insured older adults and proposes a theoretical structure for the benefit.

"This document provides guidance to CCBHCs on how to use the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) cost report for the two Certified Clinic Prospective Payment System (CCPPS) rate methodologies—CC PPS-1 and CC PPS-2. The cost report may be used to determine the clinic-specific PPS rate and to annually report demonstration costs. These payment rates were provided through the Demonstration Program to Improve Community Mental Health Services."

This paper examines the success of grants given to initiatives that address the employment gap between people with and without disabilities. Independent evaluations identified five elements which were common to successful projects, namely, 1) A focus on changing attitudes about people with disabilities and their ability to work, 2) A person-centered approach to employment, 3) Technological platforms or model documentation, 4) Strong community partnerships, and 5) Wraparound services.

This book describes strategies for engaging a community in the process of planing to become a better place for people of all ages to live, work and play. It is intended to be used as framework to help people working to improve health services plan, evaluate and implement appropriate efforts in their communities.

AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) publishes a monthly update on employment numbers for people ages 55 and over. AARP PPI has recently released its June 2018 version of the digest. The labor force participation rate for people ages 55 and older remained unchanged from the previous month, while the unemployment rate for people ages 55+ increased to 3.1 percent. The rest of the digest summarizes various employment statistics and compares June numbers to previous reports.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released their monthly report for April 2018 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility determination, and enrollment data. This report includes point-in-time data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including the number of applications submitted directly to Medicaid and CHIP agencies, the number of eligibility determinations made on these applications, and the total number of individuals enrolled in the Medicaid and CHIP programs.

The Center for Health Care Strategies released a new report on promising community-based medication management strategies. Many Americans have complicated drug regimens which can be difficult to manage and may result in unintended medication errors. This paper is based off of literature reviews and interviews and discusses opportunities for enhanced community management of medication complexity.

This annual report focuses on how CMS is working to improve care for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees. The report outlines the progress of CMS as it works to meet its strategic goals. It also identifies four legislative recommendations for improving care coordination and benefits.

This chapter is part of MACPAC's June 2018 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. It reports on the trend of states using managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS). The chapter discusses program outcomes, the added complexity of long-term services and supports in Medicaid managed care, and different directions being explored in MLTSS. It also identifies issues for further examination.

This report is one of three reports released around the same time from Mathematica Policy Research focusing on how transition services are being used for youth with disabilities. This report examines states' experiences with a new mandate requiring them to provide pre-employment transition services available to all students with disabilities.