Reports

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) July 21st report, “Use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines in Older Adults: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2023 (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2023;72:793–801)," describes the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that adults aged 60 and older may receive a single dose of the RSV. Beginning in May 2022, the ACIP Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines Adult Work Group met to review available evidence regarding the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of these vaccines among adults aged ≥60 years. On June 21, 2023, ACIP voted to recommend that adults aged ≥60 years may receive a single dose..

To aid federal agencies prepare for future public health emergencies, the GAO released a report detailing findings and recommendations from the agency’s COVID-19 oversight reports spanning from April 2022 through April 2023. This report includes several key data updates and five enclosures that summarize and highlight standalone reports issued from April 2022 through April 2023 on public health preparedness, improper payments and fraud, vulnerable populations, distribution of federal COVID-19 funding, and COVID-19 and the economy...

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has collaborated with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to curate a comprehensive data analysis report regarding Elder Financial Exploitation (EFE) losses experienced by adults over the age of 60. They found that victims of EFE in the United States lose $28.3 billion a year, and about 72% of the losses arise from fraud by people the victims know personally....

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an expanded Report to Congress for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) in Medicaid. This new report supplies data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2018-2021. This report provides a detailed analysis of Medicaid coverage of NEMT such as the types of medical services accessed when using NEMT by beneficiary subgroup, a comparison by delivery model of the volume of NEMT services used by states, and monthly trends in the use of NEMT versus telehealth services.

On June 15th, MedPAC released its June 2023 “Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System”. Each June, as part of its mandate from the Congress, MedPAC reports on issues affecting the Medicare program as well as broader changes in health care delivery and the market for health care services. The report includes ten chapters. Examples of information addressed in the report includes the following: High prices of drugs and biologics covered under Medicare Part B. Due to an increase in Medicare Part B drug spending between 2009 and 2021, the Commission recommends three policies designed to improve Medicare's Part B drug payment system and reduce spending growth for Part B drugs....

The CMS OMH report, “Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage Associated with Dual Eligibility or Eligibility for a Low-Income Subsidy and Disability”, presents summary information on the performance of Medicare Advantage plans on specific measures of quality of health care reported in 2021, which corresponds to care received in 2020. Specifically, this report compares the quality of care for four groups of Medicare Advantage enrollees that are defined based on the combination of two characteristics: (1) dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid or eligibility for a Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) and (2) disability...

The United Health Foundation recently released the 2023 Senior Report, an annual review of the health of the nation’s older adults and a critical tool to help guide individuals, community leaders, and policymakers to make decisions that are informed by reliable data. The report highlights successes and challenges older adults face in a broad range of health measures to help provide a portrait of the health and well-being of older adults throughout the United States. To accomplish this, the 2023 Senior Report collects data on many health measures, including race/ethnicity, gender, rural/urban geography, income, education, and more.

Arnold Ventures has introduced a new project titled "Melissa & Ann: Navigating America's Tangled Health Care Safety Net," a compelling photo essay featuring the lives of two women living in Southern California who are dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. Through the lens of award-winning photographer Isadora Kosofsky, this project sheds light on the daily triumphs, challenges, and complexities faced by older adults and people with disabilities navigating the health care system. By sharing these intimate stories, Arnold Ventures aims to inspire policymakers to prioritize improving care for the diverse population of low-income older adults and people with disabilities who are dual-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

On May 11th, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated 2023 SSI and spousal impoverishment standards. Certain Medicaid income and resource standards are adjusted annually in accordance with changes in the SSI federal benefit rate and the Consumer Price Index, reflecting an effective date of January 1, 2023. Additionally, per section 1924 of the Social Security Act, the community spouse’s minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance (MMMNA) is adjusted based on changes to the federal poverty level and reflects a July 1, 2023 effective date. Additionally, the community spouse’s monthly housing allowance, calculated based on a percentage of the MMMNA, is adjusted each July 1st.

This issue brief was published by Justice in Aging, as a part of its four part series “Risks and Rewards of Demographic Data Collection: How Effective Data Privacy Can Promote Health Equity.” This brief highlights the privacy concerns faced by individuals who are enrolled in Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) or other models that coordinate care across programs, and discusses best practices that plans can put in place to strengthen protections for these vulnerable populations.